Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Ohio State 77, Indiana 53.

Here are the stats. IU competed for most of the second half, and actually managed to pull within 13 points at one point, but like all too many of IU's games this season and for the second game in a row, it was over by the first media timeout. IU's perimeter defense continues to be a problem, and Ohio State made 11 three pointers in the first half, accounting for 75 percent of their scoring. Jon Diebler made 5 of those three pointers. I noted in the preview that Diebler's height and shooting ability could prove a deadly combination. Certainly, some of those shots were wide open, but at least a couple were "contested" by a much shorter IU player. IU's .81 points per possession will win very few games, and the 24.8 turnover percentage, while not awful by this team's standards, continues to be a problem. Verdell Jones looked more comfortable attacking the basket than he ever has, but accounted for five of those turnovers. IU did rebound well (38 percent on the offensive end to 21 percent by OSU), but the Buckeyes made so many three pointers that it didn't matter. Other random thoughts:
  • Dallas Lauderdale looks old enough to be Greg Oden's father.
  • Tom Prtichard was fairly effective, scoring 16 points on 14 shots and grabbing 11 rebounds.
  • Devan Dumes struggled in his return from an ankles injury (is it a return if he didn't miss a game), shooting 3-12 from the field and finishing with 8 points.
  • Broderick Lewis, a freshman walk-on from Lafayette, received his first meaningful minutes, and played reasonably well. He didn't have an official field goal attempt, but shot 3-4 from the line and had two rebounds and no turnovers. Lewis is 6-6 and was a state finalist in the long jump in high school. He had the reputation of not being a particularly skilled basketball player, but hopefully he will improve and continue to contribute.
  • Although he is a graduate of Lafayette Jeff, his hometown is listed as "West Lafayette." IU has Verdell Jones from Champaign, and will have Jordan Hulls from Bloomington next year, which is a fair representation of Big Ten college towns.
Check out the Buckeye perspective here and here.

Well, as I said, IU at least has some conceivably winnable games in the future, although IU will be a decided underdog in all three. In my mind, Saturday is a major "pride game" for this program. This team is going to finish with IU's worst record in generations, so there won't be much opportunity for major milestones. But Penn State has never won at Assembly Hall. Continuing that streak, while not banner-worthy, could be some sort of source of pride for this team.

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