I hate the month of February for sports!
Actually, let me start by explaining something about myself – I have a serious love-hate relationship with the game of basketball. I’m not entirely sure why this is (it’s probably because I’ve never been that good at playing the game…my Dad and Brother have the market cornered in basketball talent in the family), but I have little to no patience for it - and anyone who has watched a game with me knows what I’m talking about. Whether I’m playing or watching, I become completely and utterly irrational and uncontrollable, ultimately leading to embarrassing myself to some heightened degree (example: I’ve been thrown out of a Church league Basketball game before – a memory I would very much like to forget). Point being, no other game gets me more frustrated than hoops.
Anyway, I digress back to my original point.
February is the worst month in sports. It means the end of football, baseball is still a few weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training, the NBA is pointless to watch until May, and (until the arrival of Thad Matta at Ohio State) college basketball sort of lies in the weeds until March. But this February is different. Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter, Ivan Harris, and David Lighty have saved what would be and has been historically a depressing month.
I love this team! Sure they can be frustrating to watch. Sure they rely way too much on the three-ball. Sure from one game to the next they can look completely different. And sure it seems that with each game, a new weakness is exposed, but they’re starting to show some signs of consistency and I believe are poised to make a serious run in the tournament.
Here are some of my likes and dislikes of THEE Ohio State Buckeyes:
Likes
Greg Oden – I know this is incredibly obvious, but I love turning on ESPN every day or reading countless articles and blogs that mention how good Oden is and can be. He and Kevin Durant are the faces of college basketball.
NBA talent – It is normally believed by most of the college basketball world that a team that has a serious chance at making the Final Four and ultimately winning the NC has to have NBA caliber talent - the more, the better (which is what made the 1998-1999 team that went to the Final Four so special – sure Scoonie Penn was great, but only Michael Redd went to the NBA). The current Buckeye squad has at least 3 NBA players – everyone knows Oden will be one of the 1st or 2nd picks in the Draft, but Daequan Cook and Mike Conley Jr. will also play at the next level. 3 NBA ready players on one team is scary for anyone to face.
Who Will Step Up Today? - When needed, this team has 6 different players that can step up at any crucial time in the game and make a play. Oden, Conley, Cook, Lewis, Harris, and Butler have all made big plays down the stretch during their current 8-game win streak.
Another Out-right Title? – If things go according to plan, the Buckeyes will go into the February 25th game against Wisconsin with a 25-3 record and a what looks to be a shot at their 2nd consecutive OUTRIGHT Big Ten Title. That would be an incredible accomplishment (in a league that hardly ever has an outright champ)!
Dislikes
Where’s the Effort? - At times this team can look bored. They have a tendency to put the game on cruise control in the second half, usually leading to a too-close-for-comfort game. The last 4 games they’ve done this (hell, the last 8 games they've done this), only to turn it on defensively and shut the opposing team down in the final 5 minutes. They can't do this in March if they want to win.
Veteran Pampering – This team is so deep and has so many playmakers, that there aren’t enough shots to go around - a fact that Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler, and Ivan Harris have complained about on several occasions. Butler had a tough time taking a back seat to Mike Conley Jr. (although he’s somewhat come around as of late), while Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris have verbally complained about their lack of minutes. Suck it up boys and play like a team.
A Must Win - They need to beat Wisconsin on February 25th. All 3 of their losses came to Top 10 teams on the road, which is a convenient excuse, but they have no real signature wins. Sure they beat a good Indiana team, and sure they beat a tough Tennessee team, and sure they beat Michigan State twice, but a win against Wisconsin will go a long way to giving them the confidence they need going into the tourney (plus it will all but guarantee them a #1 seed).
Do I think this team has what it takes to win the National Championship? Definitely. They have more talent riding the bench than probably 60% of the Division 1 teams have in their starting line-up (probably a slight exaggeration, but whatever). If they can start playing like a team that actually likes each other (and when Greg Oden has a chance to start using both of his hands) nobody – save Florida – will want to play Ohio State.
2 comments:
That Florida game was definately a shot of reality for the Buckeyes. They looked a bit overmatched. I definately think they have the talent to win a National Championship but I don't know if the youngsters can get it done. My prediction: Final Four but no Championship.
Well said.
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