Buckeye Blogger Network
The early favorite and the only National Champion in the history of the program is headed to the Final of tBBC All-Time Tourney.
The 1960 Buckeyes left little doubt in taking down the All-Ohio Five Led by David Lighty. There was some thinking by us at tBBC that the most recent success of the program would give some momentum to the young buckeyes but to no avail. The Jerry Lucas led squad is widely considered to be one of the best teams ever in the NCAA and will tough to beat in any mythical tournament.
They will face the winner of semi final number two between the Jim Jackson led 1992 Buckeyes as they take on Mike Conley and Greg Oden of 2007. Stay tuned and thank you for your votes!!!
Gone is the month of March and all the greatness on the hardwood we look forward to all year long. As basketball fans, we strive for one more shining moment. We wait anxiously as football takes center stage until old man winter strikes again. Here at tBBC, we are reliving March Madness this morning as we bring you the semi finals of the All-Time Tourney. Pitted against each other today are two of the best overall teams in Ohio State history. Today, we feature the only Ohio State championship squad against a 2011 squad that many believe had all the tools to win a second championship in school history.
When members of this 2011 squad met the 1960 team during their 50th Anniversary reunion in 2010, they took something from it. But what if they could learn first hand from one of the most impressive teams in college basketball history? How would the likes of Jared Sullinger, Jon Diebler and David Lighty stack up with Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek, and Mel Nowell? Today, we breakdown a dream match-up of two very good teams. With only one moving on to the Finals to take on the winner of the 1992/2007 semi-final winner. Here’s WVaBuckeye and my breakdown of tBBC Semi-final #1.
Make sure you vote for who you believe would win this match-up on the top left hand corner of the web page.
Joe D and WVaBuckeye bring you another round of the tBBC All-Time Tourney! Today pits Evan Turner and the 2010 Buckeyes versus the Diaper Dandy 2007 squad featuring Greg Oden and Mike Conley. Enjoy!
As the seeding’s were finished and Joe and I prepared to do our match up research, this game became the most intriguing. Both teams feature National POY candidates in Greg Oden and Evan Turner and of course Evan walked away with every major award during his junior season in Columbus. Both teams feature a star from our previous match up in David Lighty who has the distinction of being on three of the nine teams we are featuring. The 2007 team came close to being only the second Buckeye team to bring home the big dance hardware since 1960. They had attempted to go through a Florida team that had their number during the regular season 86-60. The 2007 squad never lost at home going 27-0 and lost just three on the road to UNC, the Gators and Wisconsin. They finished the season ranked #1 in the AP poll and in the RPI. The 2010 team was led by quite possibly the best all around player to ever don the Scarlet and Gray. Evan Turner led this team to a second place Big Ten finish behind great single season stats that made the rest of the starting line up better. Almost averaging a double/double at 20.4 PPG and 9.2 RPG as well as 6 assists a game the rest of the starters averaged in double digits.
What are to follow will be several comparisons of each team’s makeup. We will be including our opinions of each comparison with who has the advantage and at the end will be guest appearances. We hope you enjoy our tournament as we look forward to the outcome!
Embodying leadership, one ivory-handled pistol at a time.
Many have said that the team is missing the extra facet of Diebler’s shooting, and that this team simply doesn’t shoot as well. Others have said that we’re missing Lighty’s leadership on the floor, and that last year’s team benefitted greatly from his experience and calm. And who knows what kind of impact Dallas Lauderdale really had on the team. He could have been an incredibly charismatic guy behind the scenes and in practice – helping the team keep focus for the long-haul.
Leadership on the basketball court is a hard quality to define and pinpoint. It’s the trait of an individual for which others look up to them and follow their example. But it doesn’t easily appear in the stat-sheet. If only there was a column for “leadership points”! That would make analyzing a leader’s effects nice and easy!
C’est la vie.
There are other ways we can analyze the effect leaders have on their team. We should first ask ourselves though, how exactly leaders effect their teams in the first place.
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The tBBC All-Time Tourney is back with another barn-burner as the number 4 seeded improbable 1968 Buckeyes take on the unforgettable 2011 squad. JoeD and WVaBuckeye break down today’s match-up.
Ohio State’s true Cinderella — the 1967-68 Buckeyes got second life at the very end of the season thanks to some help from our friends up north. In early March, players had turned their uniforms in. They thought they had played their last game against Illinois. They still practiced, but without any expectations of playing again.
All Iowa needed to do in securing the only spot for the Big Ten in the 23 team post-season tournament was beat a Michigan team that was 5-8 in the conference. After jumping out to a 22-8 lead, Michigan was able to hold on by one to force a one game playoff between the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes at the brand new Mackey Arena in boilermaker country.
Fred Taylor was so thankful for the Wolverines’ effort, that he sent soon to be fired Michigan coach Dave Strack a varsity O blanket to keep warm over the spring.
The Buckeyes would go on to beat the Hawkeyes and entered the tournament as a member of the Mideast regional in Lexington Kentucky. After a win over East Tennessee State, the Buckeyes would meet the heavily favored home Kentucky Wildcats and survive by one point. Wildcat Head Coach Adolph Rupp was so upset after the game, he refused to make an appearance at the post-game press conference. That’s when Guard Bruce Schnabel came up with a poem that rings wonderment in Ohio State fan’s ears.
“Some say we were good, some say we were lucky, all I know is we’re in L.A. and Rupp is still in Kentucky.”
It’s nearly time for the Basketball Bucks to take the hardwood again, and Eric and Joe Dexter are here to talk all things hardwood! The pair reminisces about last years great squad, and looks forward to the things to come – particularly newcomers Amir Williams and Shannon Scott. They also talk about the gains made by Sullinger, Craft, Buford, Deshaun Thomas, and Jordan Sibert, and what that will ultimately mean for this team. Lastly, they spend some time talking about the talent around the Big Ten, and what kind of a challenge the Buckeyes might have in repeating as Big Ten Champs.
Eric and Joe are very excited to chat with Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch during this week’s interview. They discuss all things Buckeye Basketball, and is certainly a conversation you don’t want to miss!
PS – Joe made a little gaffe on this week’s podcast, botching the name of a former Buckeye. The first person to post in the comments with correct answers to all three of the following:
will win a free T-Shirt from the guys at Time And Change! You can also connect with them at this Saturday’s mega launch party if you’re in Columbus. Read More
U will see me in the NBA I promise u that…..less than a minute ago via TweetCaster for Android 
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Dave Lighty
OSULighty23
When David Lighty fell off the NBA draft board late last week, it was more than just a surprise to Buckeye fans. For four years, we watched this gritty defender frustrate offensive talent completely out of their games.
For the past two seasons, we’ve seen him step up and be the leader of some of the best young talent in the nation. In a down year for draft talent, it seemed inevitable that the Cleveland native would be selected for his intangibles that you can’t really teach.
But when the hometown Cavs passed over him with the 24th pick in the second round, the realization that the NBA covets promise over character and accomplishment sunk in.
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With the NBA Draft set to take place Thursday night, new Ohio State basketball alums David Lighty and Jon Diebler will be waiting attentively in hopes of hearing their names called for one of the 60 picks in the two rounds of the Draft. Neither Lighty nor Diebler is an appealing enough prospect for an NBA team to warrant a coveted place in the Green Room, where the players nearly guaranteed to go in the top 20 picks are invited, but both former Buckeyes had solid senior campaigns that will at least get them some consideration for picks later in the Draft.
Ohio’s own Cleveland Cavaliers hold both the first and fourth overall picks, although the final slots could easily change before or during the Draft in a typical flurry of trade activity. Minnesota, Utah, and Toronto hold the second, third, and fifth picks, respectively, and will seek to add some much-needed talent to their rosters. Top candidates for a lottery pick include Kyrie Irving of Duke, Derrick Williams of Arizona, Enes Kanter of Turkey (that’s the country, not a university from the MEAC), and Brandon Knight of Kentucky, who we will refrain from wishing ill will upon. You will note that Jimmer Fredette, although having a good shot at a lottery pick, is not among the elite prospects for this year’s draft. Jazz trading down, anyone? Read More
