A scarlet record against the ACC pinned to his lapel, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney (North Carolina B.A. ‘70 and J.D. ‘73), can resume shuffling paper as he scrambles to assemble a credible television network. In year nine of ESPN’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge, conspiracy theories of scheduling, phantom officiating and the Commissioner’s allegiance now reign on deaf ears. Early in December, athletes and talent often trump coaching and player development, and evident from this past week, the Big 10, while replete with great coaches, is developing.
Goran and the Spartans
Still, from the carnage of another meak performance versus the ACC, the Big 10 can find solace in the knowledge its possesses one elite team with Championship potential, Michigan State. Against North Carolina State and in the wake of a deflating loss to UCLA, the Spartans established themselves as a formidable team. As is expected from Izzo teams, the Spartans play with earnest emotion and competitiveness on both ends of the court for forty minutes. Watching this effort can be inspiring, which perhaps explains the contagious nature of Spartans’ basketball, for the fans as well as the players.
Coupled with the natural talent of their freshman guards, Michigan State has the depth throughout their roster to compete at the highest level. However, the most important component for their continued success will be the offensive development of Goran Suton. Where Suton possesses the ability to find his own shot through crafty post moves, it’s his ability to remain aggressive that will determine his and perhaps his team’s ultimate success. With the silky Raymar Morgan and tenacious Drew Neitzel, adding Suton as a low post threat makes the Spartans silly difficult to defend.
Fresh Legs and Long Jumpshots
Like last week’s NIT Final against Texas A & M in New York City, the loss to North Carolina should serve a reality check for optimistic Ohio State fans. Evident thus far, the Buckeyes have two legitimate options on offense, Kosta Koufus and Jamar Butler. While some have tacitly chided Koufus as playing soft against DeAndre Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough such criticism is superficial. Omitted from the stat sheet is the fact that Koufus missed good shots he’s capable of making. Moreover, in the two losses, Koufus was not the only beleaguered Buckeye as the entire team fell into a trench of missed shots, some shots worse than others. In any event, judging from his obvious talent and decent touch around the basket, it’s premature to pile on or point fingers at Koufus.
As Ohio State continues to evolve as a team, they’ll need a consistent third scorer to compensate for the inevitable poor shooting night of Butler or John Diebler or David Lighty. Assumed to take the role of third scorer and given the nod by Matta over fellow frosh Evan Turner, Diebler thus far has played little defense and, until he took 16 shots against Carolina, less offense. Diebler’s struggle to reaquire a shot he apparently refined under tutelage of his coach-father against the likes of Shelby High has overshadowed David Lighty’s inconsistency. Saddled with a burden of being the remnant of Thad Matta’s Conley-Oden-Cool recruiting class, Lighty seems reluctant or perhaps unaccustomed to the role as a consistent offensive option. As the season churns, the Buckeyes will learn if Lighty is reluctant or capable.
Step Up in Champaign
In College Park, Maryland on Wednesday night, Illinois scored just one point in its final five critical possessions. The one point coming from a 1 of 2 charity stripe effort from fifth-year senior Brian Randle. Illinois is better than this. While Illinois still needs a point guard to demonstrate the ability to get the offense in a rhythm, the post players seem uncomfortable and, at times, lost. Whether Shaun Pruitt can elevate his game from a willingness to dominant to actual domination is critical to Illini success.
Contrary to his on-court demeanor, Brian Randle needs to take a page from the Spartans coaching manual and play with purpose and abandon. He’s clearly the most talented Illinois player and as such the Illini are dependant upon Randle asserting himself and fulfilling his potential. In the end, a good Weber team simply wasted an opportunity to garner a needed road win against a solid but not good Gary Williams team.
