Men's Basketball
Twelve Courtside Comments from the Garden
By John Porentas

The media rarely gets to sit courtside anymore around the Big Ten. All around the league those seats are now sold to big-money donors, and the media gets shuffled into a media area somewhere in the lower stands. That's the way it is in college basketball these days, but at Madison Square Garden we were courtside just like the good old days. The vantage point allowed us to notice some things that we posted on the-Ozone Forum earlier today. People over there seemed to enjoy the post, so we decided to turn it into a little feature.

Here's what we saw.

1) At the outset of the game the Syracuse players either didn't take OSU seriously or took themselves way too seriously. They were out there grinning at one another after they scored or made a play, giving OSU's players taunting looks and talking to them like they owned them, etc.
2) The Buckeyes not only did none of that from the outset, but also refrained from reacting. Even when they had the game won late in the second half, they just concentrated on their own game and didn't get into taunting, etc.
3) Syracuse looked tired at the end of the first half and at the end of the game. The Buckeyes were fresh in both instances. The Buckeyes made a little run at the end of the half and were in no danger at the end of the game. The Orange was out of gas and the Buckeyes were fully energized.
4) There was a play in the second half where a bunch of players ended up on the floor when the whistle blew. As the players untangled and got up OSU's Othello Hunter grabbed the hand of a Syracuse player and helped him up. Syracuse' Evan Devendorf came running over and tried to get Hunter's hand off the Syracuse player who was down, and did it in a way that looked like he was waiting for Hunter to retaliate. Both the Syracuse player who was down and Hunter looked at him like he was a whacko.
We see PSAs all the time about sportsmanship. Apparently Devendorf hasn't seen them yet. Hunter's gesture falls into that category, but Devendorf reacted as if it were some sort of slight.
We understand the need for teams to stick together on the field or court, but helping up an opponent hardly falls into the category of lack of respect for that opponent. Either Devendorf doesn't get that, or his Head Coach hasn't taken the time to explain it. Either way, it was disappointing to see.
5) The Buckeyes never lost their poise. Not once, not even when they were down in the first half. Syracuse got completely out of the team concept when they got down and started taking bad shots and freelancing. OSU stuck with the team concept.
Take a look at the box score from the game. It's amazing that everyone who played contributed significantly at both ends of the floor. Anybody who played more than one minute in the game had either a blocked shot or a steal. The three leading scorers were also the team leaders in either assists or rebounds.
6) If you haven't read the Buckeye Watch, read Gerd's comments at 10:55 and 11:02. That cracked me up, but it also illustrates something I saw from courtside. There is a chemistry on the team that is really fun. That high-low stuff between Koufos and Hunter is almost unstoppable, and both Hunter and Koufos looked like they really enjoyed the assist as much as they enjoyed the basket. This team shares the basketball and seems to enjoy doing it.
7) The Buckeyes did not "show up" Syracuse as the game wound down. It was just a job done, a step for them.
8) Over the last seven or eight minutes of the game not only was all the grinning gone from Syracuse, they looked like they had eaten some bad turkey and rotten cranberries, kind of like kids who had been given a timeout. The Buckeyes just played on.
9) If you didn't see the game, make sure you watch Evan Turner the next time the Buckeyes play. He made some moves at the offensive end that were eye-popping. As the season progresses Turner is going to get better and better. He also is extremely effective in OSU's zone. He brings length that makes it tough for the opposition to get shots up from the corner.
10) Jon Diebler is working his way out of his shooting funk. He put the ball on the floor and drove the basketball and got to the free throw line. Making some layups and free throws are great tonic for a shooting slump, and Diebler is doing those things. You could kind of see it in his eyes late in the game that he was feeling better about himself. If Diebler heats up, this OSU team is going to be a load.
11) Othello Hunter and David Lighty are light years better this year than they were last year at this time. They're also arguably better than they were at the end of last season, both of them. Both are playing with confidence and aggression, and both are skilled athletes. That isn't exactly a single-game courtside observation, but last night really confirmed it.
12) Kosta Koufos is amazing. If you slacked last year and didn't see much of Greg Oden, don't blow it this year and miss your chance to see Koufos. He's going do some amazing things this year, and this will likely be your only year to see him in an OSU uniform.

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