Best Rivalry in Sports

[furls]

BUCKS VS. TTUN

Tonight, basketball is the game! F' those F'ing F'ers.

FYI, OSU wrestling is taking on TTUN on Sunday, I will be in attendance for that.

Regards,
Mike

[Lebowski]

ttun?

i know tsun, but help me out furls.

go bucks!

[yargs7]

Without a doubt Ohio State-MeatChicken. I loved it when they showed highlights of this year's Buckeye victory during the basketball broadcast. Props to Musberger for that!

[Lebowski]

Big win by the Bucks, especially in a hostile environment on the road. OSU was just of fire from beyond the arc, hitting 12 threes.

Question: Is Dials an NBA player? I can't figure it out. I think he has the size and skill to be a PF, but he looks a bit soft. But then again, I thought the same thing about Brendan Haywood. I didn't think he had an NBA future, but has turned into a solid player.





Damn...OSU owns um.

[consigliere]

Ok, anyone want to take a stab at 'plaining to me what this team is all about. They are 17-3 and have faired well in the Big Ten. I saw the last two minutes of tonight's game, and maybe a total of 5 minutes in other games. I am just not the NCAA basketball fan I used to be.

But, I am a big Bucks fan.....and was wondering if someone who knew about the team could shed some light. I know Dials....guy has been around forever. Also, I keep hearing about this "Thad Five" coming in next year with Greg Oden and others. Could 2006-2007 be a title contending year and top 5 status?

Hell, could the Bucks make some noise in the tourney this year? They shoot the three, and have a nice inside game with Dials...a great combo come tourney time.

Thanks.

[mswerb]

Is the basketball rivalry the same? I know we all HATE Michigan, but I don't see it the same as football.

[Lebowski]

but I don't see it the same as football

me neither..and its not even close.

[Lebowski]

Consig,

This year?

I like their team in the tourney because they shoot 3s so well. Typically a few teams like that get hot come March and make some noise in the brackets.

Next year?

Who really knows? I hear great things about the incoming frosh, but its hard to tell. I like their team this year, and adding Oden alone is huge. Mother fucker would be #1 pick in the draft had Stern not instituted the new rule. Conley and Cook also look like studs, but its hard to say at this point what they will be like next year. Matta continues to impress tho.

Re: Dials

I played HS hoops against him and was not at all impressed with at that time. He was known as a big kid who was lazy. Then he goes to OSU and has a great frosh year...and I'm like, "is this the same guy?!" In hindsight Boardman never developed him or used him to his fullest abilities. Just goes to show how a kid with ability can blossom under the right coaching.

[yargs7]

Like I said in a post a couple weeks ago. This is a team that is built to make a run in the tourney. The Big Dance is usually dominated by guard play. They have 3 guys who can fill it up. Je'kel Foster, Jamar Butler, and JJ Sullinger. Matt Sylvester has great range as well. (He hit the big 3 in last year's win over Illinois) Dials is tough inside, he has a tendency to get himself in fould trouble. I wouldn't call him soft though. He can be a beast on the offensive glass. Ron Lewis is a good athlete who can create offense as well.

Props to Thad Matta for making Buckeye hoops exciting again

HUGE GAME SUNDAY vs ILLINOIS

[furls]

First,

TTUN = that team up north
TSUN = that school/state up north

it is all semantics.



This years Buckeyes are good, but their reliance on the outside game against any team with a good big man is a bit alarming and makes them vulnerable to being upset in the tourney should they have a bad day shooting. That said, a hot Buckeyes team could make a run to the elite 8 or even the final four in the right bracket. Dials is OK, but I dont think he will achieve any great stature in the NBA. He is basically Robert "Tractor" Traylor a few years younger.

In order for the Buckeyes to really play well they need to really start making things happen off the dribble. Jamar Butler has really turned it up a notch in this department, but we need to see it from others. Dribble penetration on a team that can shoot is absolutely devastating and furthermore, driving would offer more conisistant points (higher percentage) than shooting threes.

Once they reach the elite teams things will become a bit tougher for them. Schools like Duke defend well in the post and on the perimeter and I think the dribble penetration will be an essential key to the Buckeye's getting their open looks.

Next year's Buckeyes should be a top 5 team for sure. Daequan Cook and Gregg Oden should be immediate starters. Ron Lewis and Jamar Butler will provide the leadership and continuity necessary to take this team to the next level. Next year will be a banner year for OSU hoops, and I think it could signal a shift as OSU emerges as one of the true powers in the Big Ten. They already have one of the best coaches in college hoops and apparently he is a hell of a recruiter.

Regarding the rivalry, I (and most true Buckeyes fans) hate Michigan Basketball every bit as much as I hate Michigan football. The only difference is the finality. The two teams are guarenteed to play each other 2X per plus if the cards work out right they will meet in the big ten tourney so each meeting means less. Frankly, it lacks the potentially crippling ending that a football loss does.

Even if OSU were to drop all 3 basketball games in a season to UofM, they could end up playing for the national title. Should the football team lose to Michigan it takes them out of the national title hunt and they don't get a chance at redemption for 360 days.

Mike

[swerb]

8-0 when hitting 10 3's in a game.

Tough to keep that going for four games in a row, played over two weekends, at different venues ... but if you can, you are in Da Final Four.

Is it likely? No ... but as Furls said, with the right matchups, and some hot shooters, it is very possible.

With a great outside shooting team, and Matta at the helm, I fully expect the Bucks to be a popular sleeper pick from bracketologists everywhere.

Below is the latest ESPN "bracketology" ... albeit before the big road win at Ann Arbor.

Has the Bucks as a #5 seed, playing at large #12 seed Arizona (last at large to get in), and set up for a matchup with #4 seed George Washington in rd 2, and UConn lurking in the Sweet 16.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology

[consigliere]

Thanks for the info Furls! Nice job.

[swerb]

Yes, great post Furls.

[furls]

I project the Bucks as a #4 seed going into the tournament. I believe they will finish strongly. They should not have too much trouble with a 13 seed and ultimately will play a 5.

The rest of the season is crucial though because I think that if the Buckeyes can finish strong they could get a #3 seed and if they can KICK SERIOUS ASS (basically run the table) they could get a #2. The significance is that if the Bucks can get out of the #4/#5 seed area then they can get away from playing a #1 in the sweet 16 and no one wants any of the big dogs that early.

Mike

[consigliere]

I'm down with a #4 seed.....they went to the Final Four in 1999 as a #4 seed. And, I am not too worried about playing a #1 seed in the Sweet Sixteen. Have to get there first of course, but if they did....bring em on!