I should reconsider my assessment of Ohio State being the best hope for the Conference in the NCAA Tourney. Wisconsin is flat out sweet and getting sweeter every game. Bo Ryan has each player understanding their role in the Wisconsin Swing Offense. They play a full forty minutes without time off for good behavior. They make the extra pass. They screen and cut with precision. It’s a team where everyone complements the whole. Who wouldn’t want to play for Hambone Ryan before a packed Kohl Center? It’s thing of beauty.
While cutting through the Big Ten like Sherman’s march to the sea, Bo Ryan has wisely set up a rotation that gives underclassmen serious, productive minutes and experience, which consequently affords the entire team forty minutes of fresh legs. With players like Krabbenhoft and Gullickson and Landry and Bohanhon coming off the bench, that’s ridiculous deep. Flowers is a great defender, having put the clamps on Haluska in both games with the Hawkeyes (13 and 17 points respectively). Flowers is yet another testament to Ryan’s ability to pluck underrated recruits and maximize their potential. On Wisconsin.
Redux on the Olentangy
Once again Ohio State’s high aptitude on the athletic scale compensated for the lack of focus and overall consistent effort. The bad shots just keep coming and Matta doesn’t seem to mind. With a once a generation player like Oden, one would suspect Matta to run the offense through post. Nope. Contrast the styles of Painter and Matta. In a Purdue timeout, without looking, you know who’s talking: Matt Painter. In an Ohio State timeout, the individuals barking out instructions are often assistants Dan Peters or John Groce. Winning is a great antidote to dumb mistakes, but Ohio State’s nine game winning streak shouldn’t obfuscate this team’s problems. Rather than Ohio State’s tacit defense and general ambivalence, Purdue’s inability to get a call around the basket in the last four minutes did them in. In a rough game even by Big Ten standards, Purdue shot just 5 free throws to Ohio State’s 26. Nothing like a little home cooking to get you through the day. The Buckeyes continue to frustrate me and they continue to win. I suppose it could be worse.
Northwestern Shoots for the Lights
Penn State is not only in free fall, but they must be reconsidering the decision to extend DeChellis’s contract. If DeChellis had any hair, I’m sure he’d be pulling it out. Seriously, this team can’t be this bad. Granted Northwestern is never an easy out in Welsh-Ryan, but Penn State desperately needed to win this game to restore what may be left of their pride. Although they hung on, Northwestern’s frigid shooting in the second half almost handed Penn State a gift. With a 12-12 record and three games left at home, the Cats have a remote chance of finishing .500 on the season if they manage one upset. Certainly not progress for Coach Carmody.
Wisconsin will make the deepest NCAA run. OSU does not have the team defense and shot selection discipline to carry it through March. There will be a tournament game against an early opponent when the shots won’t drop and sheer athletic talent will not be enough. I am thrilled with the recruiting prowess of Matta. I was also sold on his job getting last year’s team, to in my mind, overachieve all year. This year the quick shots and failure to utilize Oden fully have me heavily doubting an Elite 8 appearance.
Left by blongbrake on February 12th, 2007