Our Honor Defend

I don’t remember the last time both the men and women’s teams¹ were on national television at the same time, so this was kind of a treat to get a double scoop of Buckeyes today.  However, in spite of the huge, early first half leads achieved by both the men’s and women’s team, only the women held on.  The men were up by as much as 13 at home against Michigan State before having their hats handed to them in the second half.  In West Lafayette, the 17th ranked lady Buckeyes played visitor to the no. 2 in-conference Boilermakers and blew the doors off Purdue in the first half.  They ended the first half up 35-16, and held for an 11 point victory.

Of course, I don’t feel like doing a more comprehensive recap of both games, since I’m at that point with this blog where I look at this as more of a burden or constraint than something that gives me joy.  This will pass, but for the interim, it means I’ll probably be a little more terse around here.

Observations from the Women’s Game

• The Buckeyes shot terribly from the field, finishing 22/61 from the field and 6/19 from the perimeter.  However, offensive rebounds were the difference in this game.  The Buckeyes had a 16-7 advantage for the game, with a disproportionate amount coming in the first half, when the Buckeyes were in full rout mode.  61 shots… that’s… that’s a lot.
• With the win and Indiana’s loss to Illinois earlier, the lady Buckeyes move into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.  They’re on target to win an astounding 5 straight regular season conference crowns.  The only time that’s been done before in Big Ten women’s basketball was in the first five years of sponsored play, when the Buckeyes rattled off 5 straight from 1982-83 to 1986-87.
• She’s electric in transition, but Samantha Prahalis has sadly been a liability in the shooting game all season.  She’s thrived at most points as a true freshman point guard, except for that.  She played all 40 minutes and shot a paltry 3/14 from the field, making only one 3 pointer in 7 tries.  She finished with a good 13 points and 6 assists.  She’s only shooting 36 percent (29 percent from the perimeter for the season).  She brings so much promise for the next 4 years, but I fear her shooting will be a liability for this season, specifically tournament play.
• That said, I still think this year’s Buckeye team is a Sweet 16-capable squad.  That also said, I’ve been wrong for 4 straight years on the women’s tournament fate.
• Oh, Prahalis, a 5’7 guard (mind you, that’s short even for women’s basketball PG standards), had a windmill rejection on a fastbreak layup attempt by Purdue midway through the second half.  If that rejection didn’t have you jump out of your seat, you probably weren’t watching.

• The Buckeyes unquestionably started to lose control of the game in the second half, but were abetted by Purdue’s inability to get any closer than 8 (and the fact that Purdue dug its own grave in the first half).  It was rewarding to see the Buckeyes hang on even with the absence of Jantel Lavender.  The all-everything sophomore center sat out large stretches of the second half with 4 fouls.
• Lavender also finished with 21 points (10/16 shooting) and 7 rebounds for this game.  She’s only a sophomore.  Prahalis is only a freshman.  This team may be one more recruit away from being positively explosive in a year or two.  I don’t follow basketball recruiting — for the men or women — so I don’t know what else may be in store for this team.
• It’s fun to pick on the Big Ten for being “down” in just about everything, but nowhere is that more pronounced than in women’s basketball.  The Buckeyes, ranked 17th, are the only Big Ten team ranked.  Even then, they don’t look like worldbeaters by any stretch and they don’t appear to have a ceiling any higher than an outside shot at a Sweet 16 appearance.  Typical conference heavyweights like Michigan State, Purdue and Penn State have 6, 7 and 10 losses respectively.  The announcers were trying to prop the Big Ten as turning a corner in women’s basketball (for the better), but I just don’t see it.  When Indiana, a usual doormat in the Big Ten, is the solid no. 2 team, things just aren’t as they should be.
• The Buckeyes have now won 10 of 11 basketball games.  Their only conference loss was by 3 to Minnesota.  Their other two losses are to #3 North Carolina and #5 undefeated Auburn.  It confirms they’re not worldbeaters, but that they are pretty damn good.

Observations from the Men’s game

• Don’t get excited or anything, Value City Arena patrons.  Apparently it was a sell-out crowd, but you wouldn’t know that from watching.
• Rebounding was clearly optional for this game.  The 7(?) offensive rebounds to none (I think) in the first half kept Michigan State from being down 20.  The 15-3 advantage for the game effectively buried the Buckeyes.
• Durrell Summers carried Michigan State for the first half, finishing with 26 points (6 3pters) off 8/13 shooting.  However, the Spartans were still trailing by that time.  When Suton and Lucas caught fire in the second half, the game was basically decided.  The two finished with 13 points and 20 points respectively.
• On Suton, he basically owned BJ Mullens the entire second half.  I can’t think of any particular facet of the game where Suton didn’t totally outclass the highly-touted freshman.  Mullens did finish with a respectable 12 and 5.
• Evan Turner got the game ball for Ohio State for his 19 point performance, but meh.
• PJ Hill is quickly becoming my favorite player on the team, if only for the way he plays defense.  I’m aware of his limitations, and I’m aware Simmons is the better PG option down the road, but Hill is fun to watch.  This time, I actually felt Hill was the better option for this game as he seemed more like the hot hand.  A look at the stats would suggest Simmons was the better option, but I don’t agree (not for this game at least).  Since Michigan State didn’t press the point guard (see: PJ Hill during Illinois game), I think he should’ve gotten more minutes.
• I kind of knew Jon Diebler would be flatfooted on defense as a freshman last year.  You could look at his dossier and just know that he would be.  However, I’m surprised to see how flatfooted he is on offense this year.  That boy needs to watch some footage of Reggie Miller or Rip Hamilton and learn how to create his own shot.
• Dallas Lauderdale was a total liability on offense today.  He was reckless in every regard, with only a late bucket saving him from having 0 points for 4 turnovers.  It’s unfortunate, because I’m pulling hard for him.  I like what I’ve read about him.  However, his performance today was very grim.
• Did I just hear CBS heap praise on a college athlete not named Tim Tebow? You mean, CBS is actually allowed to do that, or was that some kind of programming error on that little vignette on James Laurinaitis?
• I think I see a bubble developing under this team all of a sudden.
• If there was one positive today, other than PJ Hill playing defense like his hair was on fire, it was William Buford.  That dude continues to shine in his freshman year.

1. Yes, this is a Title IX-compliant blog.  Deal. [↩]