Thad Matta re Syracuse: "It's like there are 8 of them out there"

[zeekay]

Cinci played a lot of 2-3 zone. The advantage isn't as much as it used to be.

Yea a last FU from Cincy to us. They got OSU prepped for the zone for no good reason.

 

[jekelish]

Yea a last FU from Cincy to us. They got OSU prepped for the zone for no good reason.

Trying to win is really a reason to throw a zone at a team like OSU.

 

[RF2044]

Is the horde from Ohio making the trip to Boston or are you just with all Orange this weekend?

Orange is reigning in Beantown!!!!

 

[jekelish]

Orange is reigning in Beantown!!!!

Pics or it didn't happen.

Man, I wish I was there. My brother was at the game last night, and tomorrow he and one of my old roommates (along with his wife) are all going as well. Stupid living in Texas bullsh--...

 

[SWC75]

I like it.

We may need them.

 

[baggerbob]

Sullinger is going to have to guard someone and help other people, last night he had 3 fouls with almost 13 minutes left and never picked up another foul. With the ability to get into the lane and Ohio St not having a shotblocker its very possible Sullinger fouls out of this game. They have 4 guys play 32 plus and 1 at 25 so if we can push the tempo by midway thru the 2nd half some of their guys might be a little slow.

 

[kyleslamb]

Sully is pretty lazy, though, too...walks back on defense, not a great defender, can be a black hole, not a good passer

There are a few inaccurate statements here.

The one part that is true is that he's not a great defender. He plays his position in the post very well and doesn't allow position, but he's not a guy that challenges shots and he struggles stepping out on the perimeter or guarding pick-and-rolls.

However, he's not lazy at all. He's one of the hardest workers Ohio State has had. He's been battling a foot problem for the past few months, so there may be a play here or a play there that the average person that doesn't know any better and hasn't watched him often enough mistakes that for being lazy. Far from it, though.

As far as being a black hole and not being a good passer, I question if you have watched many games if you have come to that conclusion. He had three assists alone against Cincinnati and has constantly been praised for how good he is passing out of double-teams. Last night, he made several diagonal passes after the double came for open teammates behind the 3-point line. If you saw Ohio State last year, you'd note how many times announcers would recognize how deadly Ohio State was because 'if you double Sullinger, he was great at finding the open man from the post.'

 

[kyleslamb]

Some thoughts about Ohio State...

1. They have been very good against the zone this year, though not many teams have played it. I think I read somewhere that Synergy has them as being one of the most efficient teams against zone in the country when teams have played it. While they won't soon be making 14 3-pointers like Wisconsin did last night, they're very good at getting into space and passing the ball around. Cincinnati did them a favor by playing so much zone last night. Of course, Ohio State was already prepping for both teams, but by UC playing the zone, it kind of got Ohio State a running start. Now, let's be clear: Syracuse' zone is more active, longer and it's played higher on the perimeter, but obviously the principles are the same.

2. Ohio State doesn't typically shoot well, although they're good enough to hit 3-pointers in bunches. What's been most impressive about them this season, though, is that they have won a lot of games where the opponents would score 15-24 more points from behind the arc because Ohio State's game is getting the ball inside by pass or penetration and getting second opportunities on the offensive glass. The latter is the most concerning for Syracuse, as obviously offensive rebounding is the Kryptonite to Syracuse. The Buckeyes don't crash the glass on the whole as much as Kansas State, but Thomas and Sullinger are especially prolific offensive rebounders and Ohio State puts the ball in the basket at a much higher rate.

3. Defensively, Ohio State forces a lot of turnovers but it's not always a big part of what they do. Aaron Craft will have the occasional game like he had last night, but Ohio State preaches being in the right spot and keeping teams in front of them. OSU is very tough to penetrate against because they have 2-3 defenders that move their feet exceptionally well and keep guys in front. Even on the rare occasion they get beat (which everyone does), they help off very well. Where Ohio State can be exploited is off the high pick-and-roll. Ohio State's bigs (Thomas and Sullinger) are very weak against this action. They hedge pretty well but don't often get back to their man. Sometimes when Ohio State switches ball screens 1-4, Thomas gets caught on a good shooter and is too afraid of being beat off the dribble so he's prone to giving up open 3-pointers. Evan Ravenel is a pretty good defender off the bench and guards the perimeter much better, but Ohio State will only play him 4-8 minutes unless Sullinger gets in foul troubles.

This Ohio State team is legit. Some may consider them overrated, but that's probably a stretch. They haven't played to their potential very often, but they have been a work in progress figuring out their identity and being able to play well together (with consistency). One of the problems I've seen against man defense is that they pass the ball really, really well early in games. There have been times where shots just don't fall and then they start pressing as individuals to step up. That's when the problems have come, as the ball movement has become non-existent. They haven't had these problems against the zone nearly as much.

William Buford is kind of a microcosm of that. He's very up or down. There's typically not much in-between. He doesn't get to the rim very effectively, or at least isn't committed to it, so I've seen some great man defenders take him out of a game. On the other hand, against a zone defense, he's often better because he has the luxury of not having anyone chase him around screens and such. Buford is obviously critical for Ohio State tomorrow, as they need him in one of those zones he gets in.

When Ohio State is playing well, it's as good as anyone in the country. While Ohio State hasn't been as consistent as Syracuse or Kentucky, they're to be considered near equals. They are a great team when they want to be. I don't think, without Melo, Syracuse has an edge necessarily, which probably explains Ohio State being 2.5-point favorites today. I do think Syracuse has a bevy of weapons, though, and offensively they haven't taken much of a step back without him in the lineup. Defensively is where his presence will be missed tomorrow.

This is going to be an excellent game one way or another. I'll be shocked if either team wins by more than 5-7 points tops.

 

[LAOrange]

I Ohio State. My wife is an OSU grad, as is her whole family, so for me this is personal.

Let's Go Orange!!!

LOL How is Thanksgiving at your house?

 

[Upstate]

There are a few inaccurate statements here.

The one part that is true is that he's not a great defender. He plays his position in the post very well and doesn't allow position, but he's not a guy that challenges shots and he struggles stepping out on the perimeter or guarding pick-and-rolls.

However, he's not lazy at all. He's one of the hardest workers Ohio State has had. He's been battling a foot problem for the past few months, so there may be a play here or a play there that the average person that doesn't know any better and hasn't watched him often enough mistakes that for being lazy. Far from it, though.

As far as being a black hole and not being a good passer, I question if you have watched many games if you have come to that conclusion. He had three assists alone against Cincinnati and has constantly been praised for how good he is passing out of double-teams. Last night, he made several diagonal passes after the double came for open teammates behind the 3-point line. If you saw Ohio State last year, you'd note how many times announcers would recognize how deadly Ohio State was because 'if you double Sullinger, he was great at finding the open man from the post.'

Maybe I haven't had a huge sample size, but I have seen enough to know that he does get lazy when it comes to running down the court for D, or in any moments of transition. In offensive sets he plays much differently, and can read rebounds very well and will go up for put-backs, but that's really only 40% of a basketball game. Maybe the games I saw weren't his best, but when he is frustrated, he surely tends to force shots, either 1 on 1, 1 on 2, in an attempt to shake out of his poor play, thus becoming a black hole. Maybe I didn't catch games where he displayed his passing, but I didn't see anything that would make me think he's a "good" passer...I guess I could be completely wrong.

The game that really sticks out is the B1G championship game. Time after time he would force shots pretty early in the shot clock because he couldn't shoot over MSU's Nix, and was always looking for a call. I'm not saying he is a bad player, but he can be taken out of his game if he gets frustrated, and if he is as good of a passer as you are saying, that'd be a really big blow to OSU's offense. He really had some nice post moves moving away from the bucket last night which can negate some size; Fab would've been a great guy to guard him -- length on the straight up/away from the basket post moves, and the quickness to step in front when Sully bulls towards the hoop. All that said, he's really gotten his perimeter game going this year, too...thankfully the Zone can neutralize him moving away from the basket by allowing SU's center to stay inside for boards.

 

[kyleslamb]

Maybe I haven't had a huge sample size, but I have seen enough to know that he does get lazy when it comes to running down the court for D, or in any moments of transition. In offensive sets he plays much differently, and can read rebounds very well and will go up for put-backs, but that's really only 40% of a basketball game. Maybe the games I saw weren't his best, but when he is frustrated, he surely tends to force shots, either 1 on 1, 1 on 2, in an attempt to shake out of his poor play, thus becoming a black hole. Maybe I didn't catch games where he displayed his passing, but I didn't see anything that would make me think he's a "good" passer...I guess I could be completely wrong.

The game that really sticks out is the B1G championship game. Time after time he would force shots pretty early in the shot clock because he couldn't shoot over MSU's Nix, and was always looking for a call. I'm not saying he is a bad player, but he can be taken out of his game if he gets frustrated, and if he is as good of a passer as you are saying, that'd be a really big blow to OSU's offense. He really had some nice post moves moving away from the bucket last night which can negate some size; Fab would've been a great guy to guard him -- length on the straight up/away from the basket post moves, and the quickness to step in front when Sully bulls towards the hoop. All that said, he's really gotten his perimeter game going this year, too...thankfully the Zone can neutralize him moving away from the basket by allowing SU's center to stay inside for boards.

Well, as I said, he's been battling a case of Plantar Fascitis, so I think you're confusing laziness with the inability to run at full speed on his foot right now. What you say about his getting frustrated has only been a recent thing (i.e. the last month or so). He was having some residual frustration over the contact that was allowed in B1G play and his frustration over not getting more fouls called on opponents mounted. He usually doesn't let that impact him. However, you're right that if you're basing too much on that game, it's a sample size issue. Trust me... he's not lazy. There's no one that's been around him that would ever agree with that. Remember: this is a kid that lost 30 pounds in the offseason. He's a hard-worker.

As far as his passing, here is an excerpt from a Draft Express scouting report on him last season:

Once there, he has incredibly soft hands to catch pretty much anything thrown his way and an unbelievable awareness for where he is on the court relative to his teammates and opponents. Patient and confident, he has extremely polished footwork and excellent body control, showing a wide array of spins and counter-moves that help him create even higher percentage shots. With his feathery touch and ability to shoot with either hand, he doesn't miss very often despite the fact that he's rarely getting his shot off over the top of the defense. When the double-team inevitably comes, he's extremely quick to recognize rotations and does a very good job of finding open teammates spotting up on the wing.​

From DraftExpress.comhttp://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz1pyP766ZV​

http://www.draftexpress.com​