I have to say something because my wife is a native Ohioan.
Can Ohio State step back into the limelight again? I think so. I really enjoyed the Greg Oden version of the Buckeyes with Mike Conley a few years back when they played in the national title game. That was a good team, good blueprint, and they were coached well. Thad Matta is obviously a smart guy, but I think he just hasn’t found his blueprint again.
That’s the thing that most coaches have to do. I’m not saying he has to find Greg Oden 2.0 and Mike Conley 2.0, but he does have to come up with a way to recruit guys who will just automatically succeed when they do his system.
According to all accounts, that is what he has done this year. Now, we just have to wait and see if this is the blueprint that works. Big Ten basketball has been overwhelmed by Wisconsin for about a decade. Ohio State has been in and out, and there’s not much else to talk about. Sure, a team gets good here and there, but nothing amazing happens.
Ohio State should be amazing just about every year because they have Matta, we know they have the facilities, and they have had some recent success. It’s not like they went to the final four in 1983. It was just a couple years ago. Michigan’s not doing any better. What’s the problem?
Big Ten basketball isn’t a big deal, and his blueprint hasn’t totally worked out yet. Bo Ryan has a really nice blueprint at Wisconsin, and that seems to work just fine. That’s why he keeps doing so well. However, this is not Wisconsin, and Matta has to get into a groove. If this is the year, we’re going to enjoy watching Buckeye basketball. If not, then it’s just going to be a mess from start to finish while we WISH it was the year.
Go Buckeyes.
