Again, for the first time

This will be my 3rd attempt in two days to post comments RE: MSU v OSU. Between this website and my computer I have twice lost complete posts. One. Last. Try.

Ohio State is what I thought they, uh, is -- to paraphrase one Denny Green. I expected them to challenge for the B10 title and here they are, right in the mix.

I don't need to say anything about Evan Turner. It's all been said. He probably is, based on stats, the national player of the year. I do not think he will have the best NBA career of any player currently in the B10, but he will contribute. I question if he is a good enough jump shooter to score 15+ consistently in the NBA. Hummel is an NBA step out 3 point guy. Jujuan Johnson is a legit big man to 12 feet. Buford, from OSU, might actually be a better NBA scorer.

If I were coaching today I would hope for the following: fewer than 1.25 shots per possession on average for OSU, make Turner a jump shooter (don't let him penetrate and dish or get to the line 15 times), don't lose Diebler or Lighty on the wings for 3's. Just play Turner straight up and give him 25 or 30. Stop everyone else and hit the defensive boards.

If I hear one more story about how good Keebler is on defense I'm going to puke. Just say what you are thinking. He's moves his feet pretty good...he defends pretty good...for a walk on white guy. If that wasn't what you were thinking then I have no idea why, in about 5 minutes of floor time, anyone would make him out to be some sort of defensive lock down guy. From what I can tell it is based, largely, on two possessions. Both were against Battle (PSU) and were in late game possessions.

Keebler, with help, got a stop that lead to a shot clock violation. With help. 35 feet from the basket. He was part of a stop. Great. Within a few possessions he "forced" Battle to take a bad shot. That is sort of like saying you forced crap to run downhill. I could "force" battle to take a bad shot. It would look a lot like this: Battle blows past me in the first two steps after the inbound. Then, in the open floor on a breakaway -- undefended and ahead of the pack -- Battle would pull up a 34' three pointer. I was responsible for defending him. As he pulled up I came back to within 4' of him. I forced a bad shot. He does ok, for a walkon, but I can think of a dozen better defenders in the last 10 years that never got any credit.

If MSU can keep Diebler, Buford, and Lighty from catching fire from 3, can keep OSU off the free throw line (Indiana was a joke, I mean, they scored something like 25 points from the line. Almost 50% of their points were from the line.) and run, run, run (OSU plays 6 guys.8) I don't see why a 10 point win couldn't happen.

MSU - 71
OSU - 60

Off to the game. GO GREEN!

*read - 6 guys period