Sporting News Already has OSU in Indy

#3
#3
I think we all knew this would happen. Hopefully we'll show up, but as much as I would love to see UT beat OSU by 20 points, I think that we're in for a hard fight to the finish.
 
#5
#5
If we have learned anything, our whole lives, having to listen to constant talking heads is...............that they know nothing. They can never factor in the most important factors. Who has the heart? Who has the best scheme? Who's mama is in the stands??

Seriously, if you go around listening to what other people think about so and so game, out here in Vegas, you will get burnt. You follow your gut.

Screw tOSU. It is on. I already put a dime on it. NO DOUBT.

NO FREAKIN DOUBT>

You puttin a dime on it??
 
#7
#7
How come people keep posting sporting news articles like they are a legitimate news site. This is the same site that had Jon Crompton being drafted higher than Colt McCoy. I highly doubt that this is going to be bulletin board material .
 
#8
#8
rpostr said:
How come people keep posting sporting news articles like they are a legitimate news site. This is the same site that had Jon Crompton being drafted higher than Colt McCoy. I highly doubt that this is going to be bulletin board material .
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is that true ? haha
 
#11
#11
The more I read from various outlets, the more I see that most people just don't see UT having a good chance to win this game. I know we are a 6 seed, but I'm still a bit surprised that so many are picking OSU to roll.
 
#15
#15
SprintFun said:
Nah. This is a veteran team - we wouldn't look past a sweet 16 matchup. Especially when there is some recent history between the two.
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We would be very fortunate to face such a "veteran" team in every NCAA tournament game.

Buford's NCAA experience consists of wins over a 14 and 10 seed and last year's one and done to Siena.

But don't sell Diebler, Lauderdale, or Turner short -- in addition to Buford's experience they also have a deep run in the NIT when they were freshmen.

The one senior, Madsen, is the gray-beard. But he didn't even sniff the court against Siena or in the NIT two years ago.

Lighty, however, gets to reunite with Chism from that 2007 Sweet 16 game and he was part of OSU's Final Four team that year.

Seriously, I don't think experience or the lack thereof is going to be a factor one way or the other in this game. I think the factor is going to be (1) the officiating; and (2) the quickness and length of Tennessee's defenders. If the refs give OSU the gold treatment like they did in the 2007 game and Prince and Chism get in foul trouble, OSU wins. If the refs call the game fairly, I think UT wins.

I keep seeing Vol fans say that "Turner is going to get his". I don't think that is necessarilly true. Against sub-par defenses in the first two rounds, he went 2 of 13 and 8 of 19. The AP said the Ga. Tech game was his bounce-back game after a poor performance in the first game. He shot 10% below his FG average and was also below his 3 point average. Since the February 3 PSU game, he has averaged almost 5 turnovers per game. And that includes 4 games against the three worst teams in the Big 10. Throw in Michigan and that is 6 of the 12 games against the four bottom-dwellers of the Big 10. In the other 6 games, he averaged 7.66 turnovers per game.

Looking deeper, in those 6 games against quality competition, he played Purdue, Illinois (twice), Minnesotta (twice), and Michigan State. None of those teams have the defenders UT has. Purdue has Chris Kramer and he is a quality defender (we saw that first hand), but he is 6'4 and not as athletic as Prince or Hopson. BTW, Purdue won that game. Michigan State has very little perimeter length (6'1, 6'3, 6'4). Same with Illinois (at the guard positions and they have little athleticism at SF) and Minn. Georgia Tech's Shumpert is 6'5, but not very quick and has little BB IQ.

JP Prince may be the best defender he has faced in in his career. In 2007 against the Vols, he had Jajuan Smith and/or Ramar Smith guarding him most of the game with JP off the bench some. And the JP Prince of late is a different player than the JP Prince who was playing his 8th game in a UT uniform the last time these two teams met.

Of course, maybe Turner will "get his", but if prorate JP Prince's minutes against Ohio (assuming he played the entire game, like Turner did against Tech), he would have put up 30 points.

I think OSU's greatest weakness may be the "standing around syndrome". This is where the rest of the team waits for the "go-to guy" to make something happen. We had that issue when Tyler Smith was on the team. OSU benefits in that Turner wants to actually take the shot, whereas Smith was a reluctant go-to guy. But, it matters little if the other team shuts the go-to guy down. What I saw against Ga. Tech is everyone letting Turner do his thing. Only when Diebler got wide open looks late did any other player get significantly involved in the offense.

This leads me to believe that the two most important players in this game are going to be JP Prince (for his defense) and David Lighty (for his leadership).
 
#16
#16
Wise-Vol said:
I think OSU's greatest weakness may be the "standing around syndrome". This is where the rest of the team waits for the "go-to guy" to make something happen.
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Couldn't agree more and it infuriates me. But I think its a product of playing 40 minutes a game - so need to take the good with the bad.


And as far as the "veteran" comment - I was referring moreso to the volume of games they've played than tournament experience - but if you think that their NIT Championship run doesn't count for tournament experience and getting upset by Sienna last year doesn't help them realize not to overlook somebody like Tennessee then I don't know what to say.
 
#17
#17
SprintFun said:
Couldn't agree more and it infuriates me. But I think its a product of playing 40 minutes a game - so need to take the good with the bad.


And as far as the "veteran" comment - I was referring moreso to the volume of games they've played than tournament experience - but if you think that their NIT Championship run doesn't count for tournament experience and getting upset by Sienna last year doesn't help them realize not to overlook somebody like Tennessee then I don't know what to say.
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I'll say it again -- I don't think experience is going to be a factor in this game. I just would not have used the word "veteran" to describe OSU's team in relation to the NCAA tournament.
 
#18
#18
SprintFun said:
Kyle Madsen is the senior - he splits time with Lauderdale.
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Not a lot of splitting time when your starting five has averaged 37+ minutes/game in the first two games of the tourney. I'd say that even saying OSU has a 6 man rotation is a stretch.
 
#19
#19
VOLnVEGAS said:
If we have learned anything, our whole lives, having to listen to constant talking heads is...............that they know nothing. They can never factor in the most important factors. Who has the heart? Who has the best scheme? Who's mama is in the stands??

Seriously, if you go around listening to what other people think about so and so game, out here in Vegas, you will get burnt. You follow your gut.

Screw tOSU. It is on. I already put a dime on it. NO DOUBT.

NO FREAKIN DOUBT>

You puttin a dime on it??
Click to expand...


Dime of what? :cool2:
 
#20
#20
Oldblood said:
Not a lot of splitting time when your starting five has averaged 37+ minutes/game in the first two games of the tourney. I'd say that even saying OSU has a 6 man rotation is a stretch.
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If you look at total minutes that may be the case, but in reality 4 starts play 40 minutes, and Lauderdale/Madsen probably split playing time 25/15 or so. If we have any bench points they usually come from Madsen.
 
#21
#21
Wise-Vol said:
I'll say it again -- I don't think experience is going to be a factor in this game. I just would not have used the word "veteran" to describe OSU's team in relation to the NCAA tournament.
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Fair enough. I wasn't saying experience would give either team the edge, I was just stating that OSU wouldn't overlook Tennessee. And if for some retarded reason they do then they deserve to lose. Can't sleepwalk against any team left in the tourney and expect a win.
 
#22
#22
SprintFun said:
Fair enough. I wasn't saying experience would give either team the edge, I was just stating that OSU wouldn't overlook Tennessee. And if for some retarded reason they do then they deserve to lose. Can't sleepwalk against any team left in the tourney and expect a win.
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I'll go further and say that OSU won't overlook UT for two reasons: (1) as far as I'm concerned, we've beaten OSU three times in the last 4 years, but the refs pulled them through in two of those games (but the point is that all the OSU Juniors have felt at least one loss to UT); and (2) Thad Matta is a helluva coach. He won't let his team look ahead. Despite what the idiots at the Sporting news say, I would bet that Matta views UT as the toughest team OSU will possibly face in St. Louis.

In fact, I'll say with Matta, Izzo, and Pearl, the Midwest has the three best coaches in one region of any other.

If not for Matta, I'd confidently predict a Vols win.
 
#23
#23
Yea I agree completely - its going to be a great game that features two great coaches. Best game of the Sweet 16 in my biased opinion - shame we couldn't meet a little further down the road.
 
#24
#24
Oldblood said:
Not a lot of splitting time when your starting five has averaged 37+ minutes/game in the first two games of the tourney. I'd say that even saying OSU has a 6 man rotation is a stretch.
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I'm not sure of the stats in the NCAA Tourney, but I guess it's not really a 6 man rotation (as far as 6 guys that each play about the same amount). More like 4 guys never sit and a 2 man rotation.
 
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