Minnesota @ #24 Ohio State

• lhslep134

  

  bulldog8 wrote: Centralbucksfan is just the attitude that OSU needs. Always satisfied with complacency and keeping things as is. I mean if you're satisfied with conference championships over national championships, that's fine - we need people in this world who are satisfied with being losers. I'm personally a huge OSU fan, but i'm not satisfied with the efficiency of this team. Talk all you want about the NCAA finals team that only played 7 deep, but if you recall correctly, the reason they lost that game was because Oden got in big foul trouble and the Bucks weren't deep enough to run with Florida.

  You just completely made something up to try and prove a point hahah. Oden wasn't in big foul trouble, he finished with 4, but didn't pick up his 4th until :30 left in the game. They lost because they shot 4-23 from 3.
• bulldog8

  ^^^Last time I checked, playing with 3 fouls throughout much of the game is still considered foul trouble. Even if he didn't pick up his 4th until 30 seconds left in the game, i'm sure they were worried about him carrying 3 fouls throughout much of the game.....Oh by the way, shouldn't you be out reporting about how Thadeus Gibson "told" you he was coming back for his senior season, only to learn a day later that he was declaring for the draft?
• osu45804

  

  1960 Team:
  
  
  
  
  New Fred Taylor Banner:
  
  
• vball10set

  I just got on here,and I'm reading posts slamming Matta after OSU won by 20??? wow--some of our fans truly are delusional--pretty lame IMO
• reclegend22

  

  This was a really cool game to be at. Classic Bob Knight at half time, asking if officials were involved in the unveiling of the new Taylor banner (there was some problem that caused the curtain to delay in dropping after Knight introduced it). Really nice to see all those guys from the '60 title team (50 years since a title; sorry, had to get my mini OSU shot in).
  
  I even met Turner after the game at CityTap and talked with his family for awhile. Nice kid.
• thedynasty1998

  

  First off, on the game. OSU played lights out. If they play like that, they can beat most all teams in the country. Diebler and Buford were both on. Turner took care of the ball and played a good all around game. Lighty was aggressive and Lauderdale controlled the paint. Good to see the Bucks show up and play well when the National Championship team is being honored.
  
  On the substitutions, I don't really care. I'm not trying to slam Matta after an impressive win. I just want to see what the 7 footer can do, and would like to see PJ Hill rewarded with some playing time after he's been the ultimate team player for his third year. I'm sure he's not complaining, because he's not that type of player. He's happy when the team wins. But, for as many minutes as the starters are playing, I would think Matta would love a game like this where he can get an early lead in a comfortable game and see what the 7 footer can do in some actual gametime. We're not talking about some walk on, we are talking about a scholarship player who already redshirted and could be needed somewhere down the line.
  
  But end of the day, it was a very impressive win, and it really looked like OSU got better today which is good to see.
• bulldog8

  vball10set wrote: I just got on here,and I'm reading posts slamming Matta after OSU won by 20??? wow--some of our fans truly are delusional--pretty lame IMO

  Call it slamming Matta or being delusional, but you're obviously the delusional one if you think the starters should have still been in when the Buckeyes were up by 25+. That's just poor coaching and there's no reason why some of the young men who are working hard in practice aren't seeing some time and being rewarded for helping prepare the 1st team all week. Simmons gets 6 minutes and PJ Hill gets 1 minute - no reason for this when the Buckeyes were easily in control of this game from the beginning. There's a difference between calling a poor game/getting beat with X's and O's and failing to reward some other players for their dedication to the team. You can all call me a whiner or complainer, but there's no excuse for playing 4 players for 33+ minutes when you have a comfortable lead all game.
• thedynasty1998

  

  You made a good point. As much as I would like to see Turner and the other starters get some rest, I think it's even more important to reward guys who are practicing hard every single day. In a perfect world, everyone is happy after a win, but we don't live in a perfect world. You think PJ Hill, Simmons, Kecman, Z and even the walk ons are going to head into the week of practice optimistic about working hard to get better when they know there is absolutely zero chance of them getting any minutes even in a blowout.
• bulldog8

  ^^^It's tough to keep your guys motivated and in full support of what you're doing as a coach when you don't reward them for their hard work. Sure everyone is probably thrilled with the team's success, but i'm sure those backups are shaking their heads a bit right now. I completely understand the fact that there is a huge difference between our starting 5 and our backups, but I just cant imagine that getting our 6-8 deep players a little more time would sacrifice a 25 point lead. Next year, the Buckeyes should be a much deeper team, but Coach Matta needs to realize that it's in the best interest of the team to keep morale high and keep the players working hard for him.
• Big Gain

  bulldog8 wrote: ^^^Last time I checked, playing with 3 fouls throughout much of the game is still considered foul trouble. Even if he didn't pick up his 4th until 30 seconds left in the game, i'm sure they were worried about him carrying 3 fouls throughout much of the game.....Oh by the way, shouldn't you be out reporting about how Thadeus Gibson "told" you he was coming back for his senior season, only to learn a day later that he was declaring for the draft?

  Simmons has played TERRIBLE, the last few games he's played. Hill almost as bad.
  
  That 1960 Championship team. If Fred Taylar had listened to Bobby Knight and stupid people like you, OSU wouldn't have won the title. Knight and a couple of other bench players thought they should play more. Lucas, Havlicek, Siegfried, Nowell and Roberts, they were iron horses. The 1960 team, like this team had a HUGE drop off in talent after the starters.
  
  Since you're obviously an unknowledgeable teenager, you might not even know about the massacre at Minnesota. Every once in a while the darkest hour in Big Ten basketball history gets brought up again. It was brought up this week. I think there was a double dose of revenge in this game, the bad loss at Minnesota this year and the year Luke Whitte was nearly murdered on the raise floor in Minnesota.
• thedynasty1998

  

  No one is saying you put PJ Hill in for significant minutes in a 3 point game against Michigan State. If you would have read some of the comments today, it was due to OSU being up 25 with 10 minutes left in the game.
  
  
  You made a very poor argument Paladin.
• Big Gain

  There are normally 14 scholarship players on a D1 basketball team. You people are espousing the theory that any one of the 9 non-starters could be a cancer to the team if they don't get the minutes they think they deserve in every game? You're talking about the selfish, I before team, attitude of this generation, which will lead to the downfall of society.
  
  Why basketball?? Is there a substitution pattern in Baseball, Softball, Volleyball and Soccer? The only football players that play, other than the last couple minutes of a game, are the ones that are almost the equal of the starters. Tennis, Golf, Cross Country, Track, Wrestling, Swimming and Gymnastics there is ZERO substitution.
  
  WHY only in basketball is there a chance of a cancer developing Because an unknowledgeable FAN thinks there should be substitutions??
• Big Gain

  thedynasty1998 wrote: No one is saying you put PJ Hill in for significant minutes in a 3 point game against Michigan State. If you would have read some of the comments today, it was due to OSU being up 25 with 10 minutes left in the game.
  
  
  You made a very poor argument Paladin.

  I READ ALL of the ?"comments"?. All made by people who are no more than a pimple on Matta's ars. I'm sure Matta had a VERY, VERY, VERY good reason for the minutes every player played today.
• centralbucksfan

  bulldog8 wrote: Next year, the Buckeyes should be a much deeper team, but Coach Matta needs to realize that it's in the best interest of the team to keep morale high and keep the players working hard for him.

  OMG, now your talking like Matta is coaching a middle school team! This is big time college basketball!! The best players play, and play a majority of minutes, and should! Players KNOW coming into a big time program, what they are in for. If they don't, they can do something stupid and transfer like Crater and Offutt did.
  I think Matta has been coaching long enough to realize whats in the best interest of his teams!! Winning 20+ every season he has been a head coach, winning multipe conference titles in different conferences certainly shows he knows what in the hell he is doing!!!! lol
• bulldog8

  Big gain.....Your a clown and I don't give a hoot about what you think. 1) i'm not an unknowledgable teenager. I'm actually a well educated adult with more mental capabilities than yourself. 2) if you're a coach and you're more worried about gaining revenge over an event that happened 40 years ago, you're obviously not in it for the right reason. You're acting like I want Hill and Simmons to log 20-30 minutes each. All i'm proposing is that they cycle them into the rotation to get the studs some rest. It's a long season and relying on 5 guys all the way through March isn't going to get it done. I'm sure Matta could have sent an equal message and beat the Gophers by just as much if they rotated Hill and Simmons in each at a time with 3 of OSU's better guards
  
  CBF. I don't care if you're coaching pee wee, middle school, high school, college, or pro basketball - it's a grueling sport and very demanding on the players physically. If you don't reward your second string players every now and then, how motivated do you really think they will be at practice? I played college football and many years under coaches who don't care for their players - motivation to work hard fades quickly when you don't get a pat on the back occassionally.
• centralbucksfan

  bulldog8 wrote:
  
  CBF. I don't care if you're coaching pee wee, middle school, high school, college, or pro basketball - it's a grueling sport and very demanding on the players physically. If you don't reward your second string players every now and then, how motivated do you really think they will be at practice? I played college football and many years under coaches who don't care for their players - motivation to work hard fades quickly when you don't get a pat on the back occassionally.

  Believe you me, this team is motivated and get along great. I have been down to numerous games, and practices on occasion...this is a VERY close nit group of guys who have fun together, support eachother, starters and the bench. Thats quite evident in their play. And I have seen it up close and personal. Matta takes care and cares deeply aabout his players. There is NOT even a question about that at all. Its stupid to even think so.
• bulldog8

  ^^^Stupid to think that in an era of selfish athletes that some players might become dissatisfied with their lack of playing time? Once again, a 25+ point lead and only 6 players log 10+ minutes. I wonder if you would feel differently if you were in their shoes. If you were a solid contributor in previous years and weren't seeing ANY playing time, you probably wouldn't be very happy either. I don't care if these kids are the best friends in the whole wide world - they are athletes, competitors, want to win, and want to be on the floor.
• slingshot4ever

  OSU should get 2 more easy wins this week at home against Iowa and Penn State. MSU is looming in the near future.
• bulldog8

  ^^^I would say 3 easy wins actually with Iowa, PSU, and Indiana.
• bulldog8

  Big Gain wrote: There are normally 14 scholarship players on a D1 basketball team. You people are espousing the theory that any one of the 9 non-starters could be a cancer to the team if they don't get the minutes they think they deserve in every game? You're talking about the selfish, I before team, attitude of this generation, which will lead to the downfall of society.
  
  Why basketball?? Is there a substitution pattern in Baseball, Softball, Volleyball and Soccer? The only football players that play, other than the last couple minutes of a game, are the ones that are almost the equal of the starters. Tennis, Golf, Cross Country, Track, Wrestling, Swimming and Gymnastics there is ZERO substitution.
  
  WHY only in basketball is there a chance of a cancer developing Because an unknowledgeable FAN thinks there should be substitutions??

  I was going to let this go, but after rereading this comment, I couldn't help but realize how illogical your thinking is. You've done a great job of comparing apples to oranges. Apparently you forgot that basketball is not the same as those other sports you've mentioned. If substitutions aren't important, then why do we rarely see a team win a national championship in basketball who only focuses on their starting 5. Sorry, but I don't know many players that can endure a 30 game season, conference tournament, and then the NCAA tourney without much of a break. I guarantee this team will look dead come March because of their lack of depth.
• vball10set

  with all due respect,I'd like bulldog8 to post his COMPLETE coaching resume on here--please feature us with your wealth of knowledge and experience...
  opinions are one thing,but you seem pretty confident that you have the answers--again,please validate your background
• centralbucksfan

  bulldog8 wrote: ^^^Stupid to think that in an era of selfish athletes that some players might become dissatisfied with their lack of playing time? Once again, a 25+ point lead and only 6 players log 10+ minutes. I wonder if you would feel differently if you were in their shoes. If you were a solid contributor in previous years and weren't seeing ANY playing time, you probably wouldn't be very happy either. I don't care if these kids are the best friends in the whole wide world - they are athletes, competitors, want to win, and want to be on the floor.

  Nope, I wouldn't be happy. And it would drive me to work that much harder to become better. Not pout and be a punk. And again, its big time college basketball. On most big time programs, a stud freshman or two comes in and takes time away from someone. It happens every year, at many, many places. These guys are getting a FULL RIDE SCHOLARSHIP. They aren't owed anything. If they are good enough, they will play. If not...be happy your on a top 20 program, be part of that program and enjoy your FREE EDUCATION! Or, transfer!! In basketball, its a numbers game..NOT everyone is going to play.
  Gaurantee? Well, we have played about 80% of the season, and the team sure didn't look tired yesterday shooting 60+% on the game.
• thedynasty1998

  

  I think both sides of this argument are missing the point.
  
  No one is saying that Matta should substitute more in a close game. Would it be great if he had a better bench? Absolutely. And I'm sure he'd be the first to say that he would love to play more players. But he can't because of the drop off on the bench. He plays Madsen meaningful minutes and he might be the worst scholarship player at OSU EVER. And I mean that.
  
  So I get it, he has to play his 5 guys the majority of the minutes.
  
  But at the same time, you need to reward your players with playing time. I don't think Matta will have any problems in practice this week, but it's hard to be motivated every single day when you know you are not going to play. Does that mean there are cancers in the locker room? No.
  
  Yesterdays game was an impressive game by the Bucks. But Matta has got to look back and think he missed an opportunity to get guys some meaninfuly minutes.
• thedynasty1998

  

  vball10set wrote: with all due respect,I'd like bulldog8 to post his COMPLETE coaching resume on here--please feature us with your wealth of knowledge and experience...
  opinions are one thing,but you seem pretty confident that you have the answers--again,please validate your background

  I've never understood this argument. So because I'm not a politician I shouldn't ever question the President?
  
  The coaches are OSU are public employees, so the public has the right to criticize.
  
  Matta got to be where he is because he earned it. But along the way he's heard criticism and will continue to hear it. It doesn't mean that people don't think he's a good coach, it just means people think he can be better.
  
  How many people questioned Belicheck's decision to go for it on 4th down? Does that mean others are better coaches? No. But it was their decision that it was the wrong decision. That's what makes sports great, you can sit on your couch and watch a game and critique it like you are the one making the decisions.
• Wooball

  

  thedynasty1998 wrote: I think both sides of this argument are missing the point.
  
  No one is saying that Matta should substitute more in a close game. Would it be great if he had a better bench? Absolutely. And I'm sure he'd be the first to say that he would love to play more players. But he can't because of the drop off on the bench. He plays Madsen meaningful minutes and he might be the worst scholarship player at OSU EVER. And I mean that.
  
  So I get it, he has to play his 5 guys the majority of the minutes.
  
  But at the same time, you need to reward your players with playing time. I don't think Matta will have any problems in practice this week, but it's hard to be motivated every single day when you know you are not going to play. Does that mean there are cancers in the locker room? No.
  
  Yesterdays game was an impressive game by the Bucks. But Matta has got to look back and think he missed an opportunity to get guys some meaninfuly minutes.

  
  I see where you are coming from here, but I disagree. Jeremie Simmons, PJ Hill, Kecman and Big Z are 4 guys that really should just be happy to be on scholarship at Ohio State. Hill and Simmons would not be here if Mike Conley didn't explode in the NCAA tournament and stayed the 2-3 years that everyone expected. I also believe that Thad expected to have either BJM or KK still on this roster, but since they both left he was forced to bring in more transfers. Then throw in Noopy Crater (who left because he wasn't starting but was playing) and Offut (who left because his minutes were low even though the staff could have pulled his scholly after 2 serious knee injuries) and you have the bench that OSU has, which is a collection of guys that give you basically nothing when on the floor. Why pull your starters with 10 minutes to go against a conference opponent just to get these guys a few extra minutes? It would be one thing if these guys were going to help you in the future, but they are not.
  
  IF our starters get in foul trouble we are screwed whether PJ Hill, Simmons or one of the Euro bigs plays an extra 5 minutes in a blowout against Minnesota or not. Be happy with the big win, hope the Bucks stay hot come tournament time and make a run at the elite 8. Then hope Either Buford or Turner stays for next year and we will be able to play 8-9 guys and have a legit shot at a title.