Anderson Varejao, All-Star?
January 26, 2012Fair or Foul? City Of Cleveland Giving $5 Million to Renovate League Park
January 26, 2012With a Penn State team coming to Value City Arena sitting at the bottom of the conference at just 2-6, not having beat Ohio State in their last 16 tries, it would have been easy for OSU to look ahead to their showdown with co-Big Ten leader Michigan on Sunday afternoon. Instead, the Buckeyes continued their Midwest tour of lockdown defense as they stifled the Nittany Kitties, holding PSU to 31% shooting, on their way to a 78-54 demolition. While Penn State was in way over their head, the Buckeyes used this contest to work on some issues that have been plaguing them in the first half of the Big Ten slate.
For starters, the Bucks have struggled at times with breaking zone defenses, upon which opponents have increasingly relied. This has been mainly due to their step back in terms of three-point shooting prowess from last year. In the first half, though, it was an offensive coming out party for Aaron Craft, who instead used dribble penetration to slice through the Penn State 2-3 zone. The sophomore point attacked the foul line and the wings, the weak spots of a 2-3, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half as he made all four shots he attempted, including a 35-foot lob to Sam Thompson that turned into a made three-pointer. Another checkpoint for Craft is turnovers, and while the team had 13, Aaron was responsible for just one in 22 minutes.
As for that Jared Sullinger character? He had another strong performance on his mission to take out every frontline in the B1G. In just 27 minutes, Sullinger posted a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Sully did most of his heavy lifting early in the second half. With the game well in hand, the Buckeyes made a conscious effort to feed the ball into the low post, and Sullinger rewarded the team with bucket after bucket. In the first half (as pictured above), Penn State used that zone to trap Sullinger in the post. As the game wore on, the fouls mounted, and as is often the case, Sullinger wore down his opponent. Penn State was whistled for 26 team fouls compared to OSU’s 17 (why yes, Mike Sanzere, was one of the officials, now that you mention it). On nights like this, when the game plan is to keep Sullinger out of the offensive flow, it’s good to see him impose his will, still be able to score, and get to the line, sometimes with two or three bodies in his personal space.
In the past, I considered Thad Matta’s teams offensive juggernauts that happened to play good defense. This year, I think the script is flipped. I think the Buckeyes are one of the best defensive teams in the nation that runs good, not great, offense. Their depth, size, athleticism, and discipline when it comes to fouling all work together toward that notion. Don’t get me wrong, Ohio State can outscore nearly anyone in the nation when they’re committed to feeding the post and connect on enough outside shots to keep the defense honest. When they’re at their best, though, it’s their defense overwhelming their opponent and fueling their offense. Penn State was without their fourth and fifth leading scorers in Billy Oliver and Trey Lewis, but Ohio State made it tough on their top three scorers. Guard Tim Frazier, second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.0 ppg), had 16, but needed 17 shots to get there. Jermaine Marshall, who was second in scoring with 14, needed 16 shots. The only knock on OSU with that end of the floor was the 11 offensive rebounds they gave up, though most of those were in the first half.
With yet another lopsded outcome at home, the starters’ minutes were kept low, and Thad Matta went deep into his bench with eight minutes left. The Buckeye bench contributed 23 points, led by J.D. Weatherspoon’s 8 in 10 minutes and Sam Thompson’s 6 in 17 minutes. Thompson, in fact, saw as much action as starter Lenzelle Smith Jr. Other items of note are that Shannon Scott played 18 minutes (just 4 less than Craft), and Amir Williams grabbed 4 rebounds and blocked 3 shots in 8 minutes. I realize that I mention the bench contributions almost every game, but with Matta’s history of short rotations, it’s still a fresh topic that will continue to evolve throughout the season.
Next up for the Buckeyes is a team they sit atop the Big Ten Conference with, the Michigan Wolverines. These two rivals will battle in Columbus on Sunday afternoon. The winner will keep pace with Michigan State, who also currently sits at 6-2 in conference play.
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(Photo:Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)