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| He did very well last night |
- When he plays aggressively, Chris Singleton is one of the better players in the ACC. He is already a game changer on defense. He had plenty of blocks, and even had a steal against Aaron Craft. Fran Fraschilla made a point during the broadcast of how the Ohio State big men play into contact, while the FSU big men avoid it. If Singleton can learn to embrace the contact on offense, you will see this guy in the NBA (lockouts pending).
- I would like to single out a player or two after every game that really impressed me, but I have a feeling that will be very difficult this season. I am impressed by every player on this team almost every time they play. I will try to be brief for each guy, so join me after the break:
-Sullinger continues to be a monster inside (although he was stuffed several times). Singleton might be the best defensive power forward he faces this season, so I expect Sully to learn from this game and keep on improving. Biggest thing I take away from this game: Sullinger hit a turnaround hook with his left hand and his right hand. That is going to be very tough to defend.
-Dallas Lauderdale knows his role perfectly. His job is to contest shots, rebound, and convert easy baskets on offense. He does all those things, but what makes him truly effective is that he doesn't try to do too much.
-Deshaun Thomas is a scoring machine off the bench, and is proving to be a very good rebounder. I am really, really hoping he comes back next year, because he would light up the Big Ten.
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| You can't stop me |
-Aaron Craft will not be contained by any press defense. He eludes defenders with ease, and locks down his man on the other end of the floor. He is everything Buckeye fans hoped he would be when he was recruited.
Enough of the pleasantries, there were plenty of negatives:
- How often do you think you will see Ohio State get blocked 10 times in a game, while only recording 3 themselves? That is what happened last night. Can't say enough about the FSU interior defense.
- Jon Diebler had a poor shooting night. He compounded this by having some silly drives to the lane. He is a spot of shooter. Spot shooters occasionally have off nights, it is the nature of the beast. But he just didn't look comfortable putting the ball on the floor, and he did just that way too often.
- William Buford stayed in his early season funk, fouling out with just under 8 minutes left in the game with only 9 points and 5 rebounds. Earlier in the game, I was thinking about maybe Ohio State doesn't need Buford to be the star of this team. With the way Lighty had been playing, and with Sullinger down low and Craft and Thomas coming off the bench, what if Buford was just a role player on this team? If he is just not an aggressive enough guy to lead a team, he could be one of the most talented role players in the country. But he did not play well last night, and the sooner he gets back to having even mediocre games for him, Ohio State will be much better off.
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| Oh god, anyone but Hightower |
- The refs BADLY missed two goaltending calls on the Seminoles. One where one of the shot blockers blatantly grabbed the rim on an attempted layup by the Buckeyes, and the other that John Saunders pointed out, on David Lighty's fast break towards the end of the game when a player attempting a chase down block missed the ball and hit the backboard.
Alright, that is all I have for today. Again, Florida State is not a great team, and they have their shortcomings (namely, playing offense), but it was a non-conference game, on the road, against a solid team, and the Buckeyes took care of business. Next game is not until December 9th against the Jaguars of IUPUI. Enjoy the rest of your work week.
