Was the UT--OSU regular season game a home-away set ?

[OSU_Buckguy]

very few 7-footers are really that athletic compared to guards and forwards. the question is: how athletic are they among their peers? it is not questionable that kosta is athletic. it must be noted, too, that virtually all 7-footers don't grow into their bodies until they're out of high school. considering that kosta has had these moves for at least a year now, he's already way ahead of the curve. though kosta can't guard most 3's, he is competent enough to play the 3. of course, he won't. he's a four and a true 4 that also has the full arsenal of a seasoned 5. consider this: most analysts laud noah for his lateral movement. for a 7-footer, he is rather mobile. you will not see noah do half the things that kosta does, from hitting 25-footers to turnaround 18-footers to spin moves to crossovers/behind-the-backs/between-the-legs.

 

[TennesseeFan07]

You make some good points. Next year it will be interesting how he does playing at the college level. It's scary to think how well he will do in years to come.

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

You make some good points. Next year it will be interesting how he does playing at the college level. It's scary to think how well he will do in years to come.

what's even better is that he is a quality person. he is a well-spoken, hard-working, intelligent, and humble kid. he has absolutely no ego and is a team player who diverts compliments to his teammates. diebler is the same way. as far as diebler goes, this evening he played with a broken nose that he received last week. he was taking hits tonight, and some of the stitches came out. he had to be pulled out of the game repeatedly because he was bleeding. in fact, he even discarded the mask. his team lost in the state finals, but he scored 48 of his team's 85.

i'm looking forward to next year's game with tennessee. your team is bona fide good. damn good. with the players you're returning and the players you have coming in, the volunteers will be (and still is) tough, tough, tough. one thing that i realized is that your team's 3-point percentage is not accurate. defenses must focus on your team's outside shooting ability. this pressure always belies proficiency. with another year of seasoning and conditioning, i also see the vols as a lockdown group. i'm surprised that i didn't see more of a full court press in thursday's game.

what is the percentage of lofton staying/going? has he declared that he'll be staying?

 

[TennesseeFan07]

There's nothing official yet, but Lofton will stay. I think the reason we didn't press as much is because we had already showed our hand when we played you earlier this season. Do you think Oden will go pro? I think he'll stay unless you win the championship.

 

[StunnA N' Orange]

Like I said, he's skilled, runs the floor well, nice jumper, and pretty mobile... If you think those dunks are impressive, then you havn't seen many elite prospects lately. He lacks strength, barely gets off the ground, shuffles his feet when double-teamed, and still turns it over at times. Look, I know he'll be a good player, but he will not be dominant as a freshmen like some of your fans are suggesting. He still lack explosiveness for his size.. He's gonna have to work on that if wants to be as good as some of you suggest.

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

Do you think Oden will go pro?

i'm highly doubtful that oden will stay. no one knows what his decision will be, though. i bet greg doesn't even know. perhaps if his last game was the game against the vols, he'd be more on the side of staying. his showing against xavier and tennessee was mediocre at best--credit given to both teams. then again, when the promise of millions of dollars looms, does a game here or there really make a difference? not sure. if i had to put a number on it, i'd say he's 70/30 on the side of this being his only college season. that's simply conjecture. he's played all of this very close to the vest.

i honestly believe, though, that ohio state will be better next year even if oden departs. the key is conley. if conley stays, i think the team will still be a title contender. defensively, there will be a hit. offensively, the floor will be open with lots of offense. if conley and oden leave (cook has to stay; he's regressed, which is partly due to a couple mid-season injuries), the team will be good but not elite.

 

[TennesseeFan07]

I was more worried about Conley than Oden before we played you all. The one thing Conley could improve on is his 3 point shooting, but he's showed improvement throughout the season.

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

If you think those dunks are impressive, then you havn't seen many elite prospects lately.

i didn't come here to flame, nor did i come here to give any personal shots. please read my posting history if you doubt me.

anyway, the videos i posted were not about the dunks; they were about his moves. stunn, the kid is over 7-foot. how many 7-footers at or under the age of 18 have you seen that can do what kosta does? there have been very few.

He lacks strength, barely gets off the ground, shuffles his feet when double-teamed, and still turns it over at times.

yes, he lacks strength. expect him to be stronger by the time he steps on the court for a college game. yes, he is not a great jumper, but he is over 7 feet and his vertical will get only better. as far as shuffling his feet and turning the ball over, those issues are part and parcel with 7-footers in high school. post-high school experience does wonders for gifted tall players.

Look, I know he'll be a good player, but he will not be dominant as a freshmen like some of your fans are suggesting.

"some" fans are not all fans. i'm not expecting him to dominate. i do expect, however, expect that he'll make a dramatic and positive impact as a game one starter.

He still lack explosiveness for his size.. He's gonna have to work on that if wants to be as good as some of you suggest.

"for his size"? umm... how explosive do you expect a 7-foot high schooler to be? of course, he will have to work. he wasn't recruited to be a bench-sitter.