Showing posts with label Ohio State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ohio State. Show all posts
Monday, December 08, 2008
Video From Saturday
Howard Smith, an employee for the NCAA and poster on the NCAA's official blog, has sent a link to a video from Saturday's game. It was very nice of him to share this and I'm sure Ohio State fans will enjoy watching it as well. Yeah, thanks a lot Howard...
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Ohio State 67, Notre Dame 62
The Buckeyes knocked off their second ranked team in a row by shutting down Kyle McAlarney. Luke Harangody had a heroic effort coming off of a bout of pneumonia, but the rest of the team rode a lackluster rebounding performance to a disappointing loss.
If we shot just over 75% from the line, this really well could have been a victory, so blame Tory Jackson's awful foul shooting for part of this loss. Can't blame him too much, though, as he provided the only outside threat down the stretch.
Ohio State's press forced some turnovers and kept our offense from getting in synch most of the game. The Buckeyes connected on a bunch of second chances with ten offensive rebounds. Simply unacceptable to give a team like that so many opportunities to finish off possessions.
Though good defense and Jackson's hot hand gave ND a chance to tie inside of ten seconds left, sloppy play allowed Ohio State to expand a lead to ten points and essentially put this game away midway through the second half. Though a Duke loss slightly lowers the sting of this one, it certainly looks like the Irish will enter Big East play outside the top 10.
Jackson finished with 13 points and 5 assists. Also added four rebounds. He was awful inside the arc and at the line, making just 1 of 6 two point shots. I like Tory being aggressive, but he has to make those driving layups. If he can't finish, dribble penetration is just as effective as turning the ball over. Still, props to the little guy for scoring ten of our last fourteen points. This is a blowout without his effort.
Mac never got off to his usual production. 6 points on 3-11 shooting (0-6 from three). We just can't win against good teams without offensive balance and he is the most reliable outside threat. For as much as Luke Harangody gives the Irish, he cannot carry the team to victory by himself. Kyle will have more nights like this in the future and its a shame he couldn't produce tonight.
Ayers shot well, but he didn't give us the kind of effort we needed with a defense taking Kyle out of the game. After scoring 35 against South Dakota, he took twelve fewer shots and scored only nine points. He has the ability to be a prolific scorer, but can get too tentative in bad situations. Eight other players took as many shots or more than Ayers did in 34 minutes tonight, including a whole lineup of Buckeyes. That's not going to get the job done without help from the shooting guard.
Hillesland disappeared a bit. 4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists. Played just over half the game. I know Harangody took a lot of boards tonight, but a better effort by Zach could have evened the playing field a bit. Five Ohio State players finished with more rebounds. That's not a good showing by a Big East power forward.
Harangody was a hero and gave a truly gutsy performance. 25 points, 16 rebounds in what had to be a very difficult 36 minutes. He out hustled the rest of the team all afternoon. Without Luke, this game would have been a complete embarrassment. With him, it just lands in the disappointment category.
No real production off the bench. A combined five points, five rebounds, and two assists between 31 minutes of Zeller, Nash, and Peoples. That's not good enough. Zeller did add a steal and two blocks, a nice contribution, but still not enough to really give a boost of energy as a reserve. Those three need to be instant game-changers when they step on the floor. Not so much tonight.
Evan Turner went off for 28 points, a career-high. It's never a good thing to see the Irish give an opposing player the game of a lifetime. Other than Turner, the Buckeyes focused on strong D and crashing the boards. It worked. Notre Dame was held below 40% shooting overall and beyond the arc. A six rebound advantage (three more on the offensive glass) kept OSU's lead down the stretch and allowed them to pull away midway through the second half.
It's disappointing, mostly because of what might have been with a win. Instead of spending Christmas in the top 5, we should be happy to stay top 10 (unlikely). Time to regroup against the cupcakes, make sure Gody is completely recovered, and use opportunities against Big East foes to restake our place amongst the nation's elite.
If we shot just over 75% from the line, this really well could have been a victory, so blame Tory Jackson's awful foul shooting for part of this loss. Can't blame him too much, though, as he provided the only outside threat down the stretch.
Ohio State's press forced some turnovers and kept our offense from getting in synch most of the game. The Buckeyes connected on a bunch of second chances with ten offensive rebounds. Simply unacceptable to give a team like that so many opportunities to finish off possessions.
Though good defense and Jackson's hot hand gave ND a chance to tie inside of ten seconds left, sloppy play allowed Ohio State to expand a lead to ten points and essentially put this game away midway through the second half. Though a Duke loss slightly lowers the sting of this one, it certainly looks like the Irish will enter Big East play outside the top 10.
Jackson finished with 13 points and 5 assists. Also added four rebounds. He was awful inside the arc and at the line, making just 1 of 6 two point shots. I like Tory being aggressive, but he has to make those driving layups. If he can't finish, dribble penetration is just as effective as turning the ball over. Still, props to the little guy for scoring ten of our last fourteen points. This is a blowout without his effort.
Mac never got off to his usual production. 6 points on 3-11 shooting (0-6 from three). We just can't win against good teams without offensive balance and he is the most reliable outside threat. For as much as Luke Harangody gives the Irish, he cannot carry the team to victory by himself. Kyle will have more nights like this in the future and its a shame he couldn't produce tonight.
Ayers shot well, but he didn't give us the kind of effort we needed with a defense taking Kyle out of the game. After scoring 35 against South Dakota, he took twelve fewer shots and scored only nine points. He has the ability to be a prolific scorer, but can get too tentative in bad situations. Eight other players took as many shots or more than Ayers did in 34 minutes tonight, including a whole lineup of Buckeyes. That's not going to get the job done without help from the shooting guard.
Hillesland disappeared a bit. 4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists. Played just over half the game. I know Harangody took a lot of boards tonight, but a better effort by Zach could have evened the playing field a bit. Five Ohio State players finished with more rebounds. That's not a good showing by a Big East power forward.
Harangody was a hero and gave a truly gutsy performance. 25 points, 16 rebounds in what had to be a very difficult 36 minutes. He out hustled the rest of the team all afternoon. Without Luke, this game would have been a complete embarrassment. With him, it just lands in the disappointment category.
No real production off the bench. A combined five points, five rebounds, and two assists between 31 minutes of Zeller, Nash, and Peoples. That's not good enough. Zeller did add a steal and two blocks, a nice contribution, but still not enough to really give a boost of energy as a reserve. Those three need to be instant game-changers when they step on the floor. Not so much tonight.
Evan Turner went off for 28 points, a career-high. It's never a good thing to see the Irish give an opposing player the game of a lifetime. Other than Turner, the Buckeyes focused on strong D and crashing the boards. It worked. Notre Dame was held below 40% shooting overall and beyond the arc. A six rebound advantage (three more on the offensive glass) kept OSU's lead down the stretch and allowed them to pull away midway through the second half.
It's disappointing, mostly because of what might have been with a win. Instead of spending Christmas in the top 5, we should be happy to stay top 10 (unlikely). Time to regroup against the cupcakes, make sure Gody is completely recovered, and use opportunities against Big East foes to restake our place amongst the nation's elite.
Halftime in Indianapolis
Down two at the half, not exactly where you want to be against an unranked team. But that's where we stand after such a poor half on offense.
However, there are some positive things to look forward to in the second half. Harangody has been great with a double double in the first half (15 and 11). We have outrebounded a team that counts on controlling the glass. And a few players are due to get hot, especially Kyle McAlarney (0-3 from beyond the arc).
Problems in the first half surround the way Ohio State has controlled the pace of this game. We are playing Big Ten basketball: poor shooting, good defense, and limited possessions. The Buckeyes held us in check with a good press that really took the team out of its rhythm. None of the scorers are shooting well (35% as a team). However, foul trouble for Ohio State (4 guys with two or more fouls) could mean better looks for the Irish in the second half.
It's only a two point deficit and K-Mac has to start making shots, but another half of playing to OSU's strength could spell a loss.
However, there are some positive things to look forward to in the second half. Harangody has been great with a double double in the first half (15 and 11). We have outrebounded a team that counts on controlling the glass. And a few players are due to get hot, especially Kyle McAlarney (0-3 from beyond the arc).
Problems in the first half surround the way Ohio State has controlled the pace of this game. We are playing Big Ten basketball: poor shooting, good defense, and limited possessions. The Buckeyes held us in check with a good press that really took the team out of its rhythm. None of the scorers are shooting well (35% as a team). However, foul trouble for Ohio State (4 guys with two or more fouls) could mean better looks for the Irish in the second half.
It's only a two point deficit and K-Mac has to start making shots, but another half of playing to OSU's strength could spell a loss.
Harangody Back for Ohio State
I hope he is 100%, but I trust Coach Brey's judgment. Nice gamesmanship by Brey earlier in the week if Gody is truly in the starting lineup.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Harangody Out for Ohio State
Per ESPN, Coach Brey will not rush Gody back to action and will most likely hold him out on Saturday.
While obviously a 50% Harangody would help the team tremendously, there is a lot to lose by rushing him back too soon. A loss Saturday without Harangody will not hurt too much come seeding time (especially after showing how good we can be with him), but struggling through the Big East schedule could be fatal to hopes of a deep run in March.
In the article, there is no direct quote but a reference that "the coach is planning to keep him out Saturday." Therefore, I wouldn't be shocked to see Harangody dress and be a game-time decision. Still, one must expect the worst and look for Luke Zeller in the lineup against Ohio State. We have done well enough against cupcakes without Gody, so all is not lost.
Though Ohio State has two seven footers on the roster, their starting lineup looks a lot like ours in terms of size. We'll need some more strong shooting by Mac and Ayers to offset the loss of scoring in the paint. With a little help from Tory Jackson and a combination of Hillesland, Zeller, and Nash (even Scott in important minutes), we should be fine on offense. If Hillesland, Zeller, and Nash can also help out on the boards, most of Harangody's stats can be picked up.
Preview tomorrow and we'll see how things turn out Saturday. Obviously playing without an All-American against a good team away from home will be difficult but this team should be able to rally and pick up the production.
EDIT: As I wrote this, a USC player was just ejected for punching Blake Griffin in a tender area. Ouch. Fight on you punks.
While obviously a 50% Harangody would help the team tremendously, there is a lot to lose by rushing him back too soon. A loss Saturday without Harangody will not hurt too much come seeding time (especially after showing how good we can be with him), but struggling through the Big East schedule could be fatal to hopes of a deep run in March.
In the article, there is no direct quote but a reference that "the coach is planning to keep him out Saturday." Therefore, I wouldn't be shocked to see Harangody dress and be a game-time decision. Still, one must expect the worst and look for Luke Zeller in the lineup against Ohio State. We have done well enough against cupcakes without Gody, so all is not lost.
Though Ohio State has two seven footers on the roster, their starting lineup looks a lot like ours in terms of size. We'll need some more strong shooting by Mac and Ayers to offset the loss of scoring in the paint. With a little help from Tory Jackson and a combination of Hillesland, Zeller, and Nash (even Scott in important minutes), we should be fine on offense. If Hillesland, Zeller, and Nash can also help out on the boards, most of Harangody's stats can be picked up.
Preview tomorrow and we'll see how things turn out Saturday. Obviously playing without an All-American against a good team away from home will be difficult but this team should be able to rally and pick up the production.
EDIT: As I wrote this, a USC player was just ejected for punching Blake Griffin in a tender area. Ouch. Fight on you punks.
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