Men's Basketball
The Buckeye Watch
By Tony GerdemanRevenge is a dish best served to Michigan, but since we haven't had anything to avenge since like 2003, we'll have to settle for serving up a little vengeance to Florida.
The Buckeyes played a tremendous defensive game against the Gators, aided by Florida's amazing inability to make jumpers. It was almost enough to make you feel bad to see a team and university fall so far from where they used to be.
In the end, the Buckeyes won it pretty easily despite a slow start. The game clearly showed that Ohio State has left the Gators in their wake.
There has been talk of Florida "owning" Ohio State. I’d say those people don’t know what they’re talking about. Who owns who? In the here and now, the Buckeyes lead the all-sports series against Florida 1-0 and who knows when these two universities will get together again. And it's a shame because I'm really getting used to laying the whoopin' on these Florida jokers. Maybe we'll see them again in March, but I'd really hate to think that we'll be stuck playing in the NIT.
Anyway, I'm not here to write an obit, even though that's kind of what happened.
But don't feel too sorry for yourselves Florida--it’s not like you’re Michigan.
3:58 The UCLA-Michigan game is going on right now and Michigan keeps fouling UCLA trying to make this game last longer than it needs to. Masochists.
3:59 Stop fouling! Just die like the road kill you are!
4:03 Finally. Game over. Time to make Florida pay. It's time to even everything up once and for all.
4:05 Dang, no Gus Johnson. No PIZZA DOUGH!
4:07 Florida starts off with an offensive rebound and a putback. Why do we hate rebounding?
4:10 Walter Hodge hits a baseline three, making it 5-0 Gators. If they score the first seven, then we're guaranteed a win today.
4:11 Two straight jumpers missed by the Buckeyes. They seem to be a bit tight. It looks like they know that a win today will completely erase any lasting negative legacies left by previous Gator teams.
4:12 The Gators get two more. 7-0 Florida. And now it's on!
4:13 Evan Turner drives and drops it for Othello Hunter, who hits a jumper from the elbow. In your face, Tebow!
4:14 There's the first television timeout. Buckeyes trail 7-2, but they're on the march. It's not been the best looking five minutes of basketball on display right now, but it'll get better. (Assuming we don't start rushing three and dropping eight.)
4:17 The Gators have been getting some wide-open looks down low, and that one was no different as freshman Alex Tyus finished with a dunk. Tyus is an interesting story. The word was that he wanted to be a Buckeye, and had an offer, but took too long to commit, and once Evan Turner committed, Tyus' offer went away. Sorry kid, you snooze, you lose.
4:18 Florida is outrebounding the Buckeyes 10-4. I always like it when stats coincide with trucker jargon.
4:19 David Lighty executes the give-and-go perfectly with Matt Terwilliger and finishes strong, getting fouled in the process, and will now shoot for the three-point play. And the free throw is good. Buckeyes now trail 9-5 with 13:31 to play. Lighty is giving the Buckeyes some needed energy right now.
4:20 Lighty hits an 18-footer from the top of the key. And now he's adding some scoring to that energy. I love the fact that he takes that shot without even thinking. He's in complete control, which is half the battle with Lighty sometimes.
4:24 Jon Diebler hits a three from the wing! There was no hesitation from Diebler either. 11-10 Florida with 11:35 to play. Get ready.
4:26 David Lighty blocks a dunk, takes it coast to coast and dishes it to Kosta Koufos for the slam! Buckeyes lead 12-11--their first lead of the game. The crowd has arrived.
4:27 Butler for three...misses it, but we got an offensive rebound! OMG we got an offensive rebound! If I never live to see another offensive rebound, I probably wouldn't be surprised. And then Jamar Butler travels. We just weren't meant to get second chances.
4:28 Meanwhile, Florida gets two straight offensive rebounds, including a putback dunk.
4:31 David Lighty drives, ducks, and drops in a six-footer. Love the aggressive patience--and yes, there is such a thing.
4:31:44 Koufos gets it at the top of the key, drives, and hits the little flip hook-type thing for two. Buckeyes lead 17-15. Take THAT Al Horford!! Florida calls a twenty-second timeout. They will now attempt to regroup. Where's your Noah now?
4:32 I like Koufos' confidence right now. He's missed a ton of shots, but he's not letting it get him down. He just keeps shooting. He and Jon Diebler must carpool to the same sports psychologist.
4:33 Buckeyes get the steal...and Jamar Butler finishes it with a three! The Buckeyes lead it 20-15! This is the SEC's defending champion? I laugh at the pitifulness of that conference.
4:33:29 Jai Lucas hits the Mike Conley Jr. floater. Gimmick infringement! That's not yours! You can't do that. Have you ever heard of "intellectual property"!?
4:34 Diebler gets called for the carry. If they're going to call that, then there will be no dribbling today. That takes us to a television timeout with the Buckeyes leading 20-17 with 5:50 to play.
4:37 Another missed Florida three leads to an offensive rebound, which leads to a Koufos foul. Nick Calathes makes one of two free throws to get the Gators to within two points.
4:39 Florida misses another three and gets the offensive rebound, but Terwilliger "blocks" (goaltends) the putback, and David Lighty gets fouled on the rebound. I'll take it.
4:41 Here comes Ohio State on the 3-2 break...Butler gets his lay-up blocked, now Florida has a three-on-one break against David Lighty...blocked!! Lighty shouted to announce his presence, then blocked the lay-up to allay any misconceptions about when that yell may have meant. In your face, Chris Leak.
4:43 David Lighty drives once again--amazingly doesn't charge--and drops it in for two more. The Buckeyes now lead it 24-18 with 5:24 to play.
4:44 Dallas Lauderdale gets fouled going up for two. He'll be going to the line for two. Get ready, rim. Here's the first one--no rim! Nothing but net! And the second...off the glass and in! Sorry for not warning you, Mr. Backboard! Buckeyes now up 26-18.
4:45 Calathes misses another three and David Lighty gets the ball up court, hits Diebler in the corner and Diebler hits the three! He was getting set before that ball was even in his hand! Buckeyes lead 29-18 with 2:30 to play.
4:49 And Butler hits a wide-open three with 25 seconds to play! Florida is dumb for leaving him so open. Corey Brewer can't help you now, Jort Nation. The Buckeyes lead 32-19.
4:50 Okay, let's end this half on a good note. No threes. And no unnecessary fouls. And no sooner do I think it, than Evan Turner commits it. Jai Lucas will go to the line.
4:51 Florida calls a timeout. There's 5.6 seconds remaining, so we'll still get a good look to end the half. Thad will draw up something to make Florida look like idiots.
4:52 Lucas makes the first. Misses the second, but Calathes takes it from Koufos and lays it in to end the half. Buckeyes go to the locker room up 32-22, but that was a pretty sucky finish. That was about the third time Koufos has pulled down a rebound only to have a Gator come around from behind and try to take the ball from him. Obviously, they've seen something that needs to be corrected.
4:53 Maybe that ending won't allow this team to be satisfied with their first-half performance, which I think may have happened a couple of times this season.
5:08 We're gearing up for the second half. All we need to do is rebound, and we've got this thing wrapped up. Oh, and make sure Florida shoots 1-10 from three again.
5:11 And Florida opens with three missed jumpers on three possessions and grab offensive rebounds each time, but fail to score on all three possessions. I'd say we're getting lucky, but that would be giving too much credit to a team that doesn't really deserve it.
5:12 Kosta Koufos shows 'em how it's done by hitting a 19-footer at the top of the key. Next up: dribbling drills.
5:13 Evan Turner gets fouled on the drive. I like his ability to get into the paint nearly anytime he wants. He just has to be smart about it.
5:14 And he drives again and travels. That's what I was talking about a minute ago.
5:18 Why would CBS show a replay of last year's championship game? Why must you live in the past, CBS?
5:19 Werner misses a three for Florida and the ball bounces off of a Gator's face and goes out of bounds. We can't even get a hand on a rebound and the Gator's get actual faces on the ball. The play-by-play dude mentions that the Gators have missed 11-straight threes. Thanks a lot, jerk.
5:21 Lighty and Koufos play a great two-man game, culminating in a six-foot jumper from the baseline for Koufos. It's a good thing you're in the NBA Horford, because you know you don't want none of this!
5:21:22 Jai Lucas hits a three exactly one possession after CBS mentions the 11-straight misses. I hate the SEC bias that this network has.
5:22 Koufos gets it to Butler who passes up a wide-open three in order to kick it over to Terwilliger, who nails a 16-footer. Looks like we're running a bit of our own option, punks! Buckeyes lead 41-29.
5:23 Butler finds Terwilliger again, this time for three! Terwilliger only hits big shots. He's like Winston Wolf in "Pulp Fiction". You call on him when you really, really need something big done very, very quickly. Buckeyes lead 44-31.
5:23:50 Jai Lucas misses his cheap-knockoff of a Conley floater, but Speights puts it back for two points. CBS is saying the score is 44-35, but that's not right, it should be 44-33. At least I think that's what the score is. I think it's bad that CBS is trying to cheat for their conference.
5:24 And Jamar Butler takes a three-pointer and crams it in Tim Brando's smug face! CBS says the score is 47-35, but you can't believe anything they say. Sheesh, now I sound like the executives at Fox News. Ha! Now the score says 47-31! We need to hit more of those (-)4 point shots for the Gators. Florida calls a timeout. Probably because they want to know what the score is.
5:26 I think the score should be 47-33. And CBS now agrees. You can only hide from the truth for so long.
5:28 Terwilliger misses a three. It wasn't crunch enough. This game must be over then. Terwilliger's clutchness is no longer needed. He is free to roam and make nice with the fans in the crowd.
5:29 Ha ha! Florida's Adam Allen just had a ridiculous travel. He started walking without even dribbling the ball! What kind of basketball is Billy Donovan teaching his players? I LOL at the terrible state of Florida athletics. Somebody pull the plug.
5:33 Jamar Butler tries his hand at the Conley floater and misses it. I think he makes that shot about 16% of the time.
5:36 Butler misses a three but glory of glories, the Buckeyes get the offensive rebound! The offense resets and Koufos gets the ball at the top of the key and hits an 18-footer. Again, no hesitation. The Gators have no answers. It is the typical frontcourt domination of the Gators that we have come to expect from the Buckeyes. Ohio State leads 51-36 with 7:55 to play.
5:41 Jai Lucas hits a three-pointer, making it 51-39 with 6:22 to play. Wait! CBS gave him six points on that shot, because they're saying it's 51-42. We can't keep giving up open six-point shots!
5:43 The Gators miss another six-pointer, but get the offensive rebound. And miss another six-pointer and again get the rebound. Koufos eventually blocks the putback attempt and Lighty grabs the rebound. I don't blame Florida for throwing up repeated six-pointers. They are definitely an advantage if your network allows you to have them. I wonder when we'll see a ten-point basket, ala old school Rock -n- Jock Basketball on MTV back in the day.
5:43:33 Ohhhh! Evan Turner just made a beautiful drive, spun into the lane and had an open dunk, but he laid it in and the ball rolled out. Turner's game is getting closer and closer. He's got all of the tools, it's just that his workstation is a bit disorganized right now. I think he might just need a pegboard or something.
5:45 Ha! Chandler Parsons just airballed a free throw. He may look like a coach's son, but he sure doesn't shoot like it. Buckeyes lead 54-40 with 4:04 to play.
5:45:39 Turner throws an alley-oop to Koufos, but Koufos pulls it down and goes back up, dropping it in.
5:46 And now Koufos just intercepted a Gator attempt at an alley-oop, undoubtedly telling Florida that if he isn't getting an alley-oop to fall, then nobody is! By the way, it's been a tremendous defensive effort by the Buckeyes today. They have been aggressive all game long. It's amazing how aggressive defense against a Florida team actually works. Who would have thunk it?
5:46:22 Evan Turner comes around the Koufos screen and hits a three from the top of the key! Buckeyes lead 58-40! As Tebow gently weeps.
5:52 Jamar Butler drives, misses the floater, but gets fouled. He makes both. Buckeyes lead 60-47 with 1:20 to play. You would have liked to see a better effort out of the defending SEC Champions, but perhaps this is all they've got.
5:56 Florida is calling off the dogs. They've stopped fouling. However, the shot clock is going to run out before the game clock, so the Buckeyes are still going to have to take another shot. Butler drives, dishes to Koufos, who drops it in and gets fouled! He misses the free throw, but the Buckeyes now lead 62-49...even though CBS says 63-47. Nice try CBS, you can't make it up to us now!
5:58 Florida takes one last shot at the buzzer, but Kosta Koufos sends it into the ninth row. The Buckeyes win 62-49 with an impressive defensive performance against the completely out-manned defending SEC champions. It's obvious that this Florida team will make some noise this year, but they'll have to wait until the get back into the friendly confines of the SEC. The Big Ten is just too good for them.
6:01 Well, I think this game pretty much makes us even for past match-ups that may not have gone in our favor. A win like this probably won't do much for our RPI, given the lowly state of SEC basketball, but it probably helps the Buckeyes put some ghosts to bed.
6:02 Actually, this doesn't make us even. It makes us one-up on them. After all, he who wins last, wins best! Sucks to be you, Florida.
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