Men's Basketball
The Buckeye Watch - Iowa
By Tony GerdemanWell, the Jon Diebler bashers will have to take the next few days off, and I’m sure they’re not happy about it. But they have no choice. He was the difference in the Buckeyes’ 68-65 win over Iowa in their Big Ten opener on Wednesday.
Diebler led the Buckeyes with a career-high 27 points on 8-12 shooting, including 7-10 from behind the three-point line. And his three steals and three assists will also keep even the pickiest bashers at bay. For a day or so, at least.
Actually, let me take that back. Diebler only shot 4-8 from the free throw line. That’s pitiful.
The other story of the game was the effort and hustle that P.J. Hill brought to the team.
We were all concerned about what was going to happen when Anthony Crater was convinced that he would get to the NBA sooner by quitting the team. But if the Buckeyes can get the production throughout the season that they got from Hill in this game, then they won’t miss Crater at all.
And Hill didn’t even take a shot.
And he only played twelve minutes.
But he made the most of his time and impacted the game every second he was on the floor.
Sometimes it’s not how many minutes you get, but rather what you do with the minutes you’re given.
It’s just a good thing his AAU coach doesn’t have P.J.’s “best interests” at heart.
3:59 The home court hasn’t been too friendly in the Big Ten today. Wisconsin won at Michigan and Illinois won at Purdue. And after that embarrassment against West Virginia on Saturday, it looks like the Buckeyes have a couple of trends to end today. It’s time for some good old-fashioned bud-nipping.
4:01 Iowa shoots threes something fierce. Our defense must be fiercer. The defense needs to play like angry lions who hate three-point shooters, but love meat.
4:03 It’s apparently a sold-out crowd today. I can’t wait for those rare occasions when the Schott is loud because something amazing just happened.
4:04 Dallas Lauderdale is getting the start today. I wonder when Thad will have “his” lineup set. Or if it will just depend upon how many other AAU coaches convince players to quit because there’s no way he’s gonna get new rims at the rate his player is playing.
4:05 Wow, William Buford moving without the ball gets the lay up. That’s a pretty good sign. Usually his movement comes out on the perimeter, but if he’s going to be doing this type of stuff in the lane, I like his potential to finish.
4:07 There’s a steal by Simmons! He misses the three, but Lauderdale was held like a hillbilly grudge on the rebound. I really like Simmons aggressiveness, but he needs to start hitting his shots.
4:08 Evan Turner forces a shot, misses, then picks up the frustration foul as is mandatory.
4:08:22 Another turnover for Iowa. Three possessions and three turnovers. Could be a record-breaking day in Columbus.
4:09 Huge three by Jon Diebler! When he’s on, the Buckeyes are too. Unless Dallas Lauderdale and B.J. Mullens decide to start shooting threes, that is.
4:09 Iowa finally gets a shot, and they miss. Dang.
4:10 Buford gets called for traveling. He must think he’s a Hawkeye.
4:10 Simmons hits an open three. He seems to be better spotting up than pulling up. Nice look out of the post that time. Keep going down low and good thing will come from it.
4:11 Great defense so far and there was just a sweet block from Lauderdale on Iowa’s best look of the game. That’s what you suckers get for actually shooting the ball!
4:12 Iowa misses another shot and the first television timeout is here. The Buckeyes lead 8-0. The defense has been tremendous and the effort has been too. There is no lack of hustle on the floor right now and everybody seems to be communicating well.
4:15 Iowa finally gets a three. It was an open look and it cannot be repeated too many times today.
4:15 Simmons takes it to the basket and makes the lay up and gets fouled. It’s about time we have a point guard that will take it to the basket.
4:16 Another three by Jake Kelly. It begins.
4:17 Steal by Buford, Simmons gets it and runs it up court and lobs it to Buford for the dunk! Wow! Buford can really finish on the wing
4:20 Another three for Iowa. Their third. And their third open look. I liked it better when they weren’t shooting.
4:20 Nice post move for two by Evan Turner. A little jump hook that can only be defended with help, and if the defense does try to help out, he would just dump it off for a dunk.
4:21 Wow! Jeremie Simmons gets the steal and then gets pounded down to the ground. Fastbreak the other way and B.J. Mullens gets fouled by Cyrus Tate, who was the one who threw Simmons to the ground a second ago. That’s Tate’s third foul…and now there’s a technical foul. We go to commercial, so I’m assuming it’s on Tate. Would that be four personal fouls then?
4:23 Nope, no technical foul. Dang.
4:25 Turner gets the ball down low and gets fouled again. He’s our best penatrator and post player. But he still needs plenty of help. And he misses both free throws. Remember the days when he was an 85% free throw shooter for about two weeks? Man, those were the days.
4:26 There’s Iowa’s fourth open look. And fourth made three pointer for Iowa. At some point Iowa is going to have to think about not taking the easy way out every time. They’ll never grow if they don’t face challenges.
4:27 There’s another steal for the Buckeyes. Buford takes it to the basket and gets fouled. He makes both shots and doesn’t touch the rim on either one. Buckeyes lead 19-12 with 9:35 remaining in the half.
4:28 P.J. Hill is in.
4:29 Finally, Iowa misses an open three. I feel like a speech should be made to mark this historic occasion. But then I wonder if great speeches mark great occasions, or if great occasions mark great speeches. Of course, a terrible speech could ruin the greatest of moments. Imagine Neil Armstrong stepping onto the moon for the first time and asking, “Where all the white women at?”
4:31 Steal by Buford, but he only had P.J. Hill running with him, so Iowa knocked it out of bounds. Not a great opportunity there. Might have been better served to pull it out and set up an offense.
4:32 Open three for Iowa. Guess what happens. Buckeyes lead 23-15 with 4:35 to play in the half.
4:33 There’s another steal by Diebler, he goes in for the dunk and gets fouled. Wow, that may have been all ball had he not gotten quite a bit of hand in there.
4:36 Diebler misses a free throw. He needs to be automatic. And he misses the second. Buford gets the rebound, puts it back in and gets fouled! Buford makes his free throw and now has nine points. And just like his previous two free throws, there was no rim on this one either. Buckeyes lead by ten, 26-16 with 7:05 remaining.
4:37 Another steal by Diebler, Buford takes the pull-up banker for two. Buford now has 11 points.
4:37:44 P.J. Hill is getting some good minutes today. At least we know there will be no effort lacking while he’s out there.
4:38 Wow, nice jump hook by Dallas from about seven feet out. The Buckeyes now lead 30-15 with 6:35 left in the half.
4:38 Iowa hits their sixth three of the game. Boring.
4:39 Nice drive by Diebler, who drops it off to Dallas and he gets fouled before he could slam it on somebody’s face. He misses the free throw. P.J. Hill gets a nice hand as Simmons comes back in. Lauderdale misses the second free throw as well. No biggie. Those shots are only worth a point anyway.
4:40 Hey, hey! Iowa finally makes a two pointer. Maybe they’ve finally gotten tired of shooting threes. Perhaps their elbow tendonitis is flaring back up again.
4:41 Diebler misses the three. He’s got a line drive thing going on right now. He might need a bit more touch today. (Postgame note: LOL)
4:41 Matt Gatens hits another three for Iowa to cut it to 30-23. That’s an 8-0 run for the Hawkeyes.
4:43 Gatens gets another three. Sheesh, get some variety.
4:43 Buford quiets Iowa with a three of his own. He’s got 14 now. Buckeyes lead 32-26 with 2:10 left in the half.
4:47 The defense is looking a little tired right now and they aren’t as long as they were to start the game.
4:48 Turnover Iowa. Buckeye ball up five with 29.3 remaining in the half. They need to get a good look here and close this half out strong.
4:49 Boom! Diebler nails the three with a hand in his face to end the half. The Buckeyes got a little bit of their lead back, leading 36-28 at the half.
4:57 Adjustments? I would suggest we stop allowing open threes.
4:59 Also, if the Buckeyes want to make their free throws, that would pretty cool too.
5:05 Game on.
5:06 Right away, Iowa goes to the basket and scores. Looks like a message was sent at halftime.
5:07 And they go right back to it. Two possessions, two easy baskets underneath the rim.
5:09 Gatens gets another open look for three and nails it. Buckeyes lead 38-35 with 16:35 to play. No hands, no arms, no pressure. Just a bunch of stumps out there.
5:10 Gatens again. This one was too deep to guard apparently. Time for a timeout. The game is now tied at 38-38 with 15:44 to play.
5:12 Where’s the defensive effort that the Buckeyes opened up with?
5:13 Turner gets it down low and powers it in for two. He needs to take over, but can’t force things. It’s a fine line that he can’t always find.
5:17 Steal by Diebler and he finishes with a two-hand slam. That’s his third steal of the game, I think.
5:17 Iowa misses a three!
5:17 Turner drives the baseline and gets fouled. No shot. If we’re going to build up these fouls, we have to make them pay later in the game.
5:18 Diebler nails the line drive three with zero follow through. Buckeyes lead 45-38 with 14:08 remaining.
5:19 Gatens drives for two more. I’m really going to enjoy hating this guy for four years.
5:21 Another three for Iowa. This time it’s Bawinkle. The game is tied at 45-45.
5:21 Diebler takes it to the basket again and gets fouled. He needs to hit these two. He misses the first. His shot is just way too flat right now. He makes the second to give the Buckeyes the lead at 46-45.
5:22 Wide open three for Bawinkle in the corner. Nobody within 10 feet of him. Seriously? When did defense become a silly idea that nobody really needs to acknowledge?
5:23 Tim McCormick just stole my words. The Buckeyes need David Lighty right now.
5:23 Diebler answers with another line drive three pointer. I guess if it’s going to go in, keep zinging them. Iowa leads 50-49.
5:25 Television timeout. Iowa leads 50-49 with 10:27 to play. The Buckeyes are going to have to close strong and, unfortunately, make some free throws.
5:27 Iowa misses a three and P.J. Hill tracks the rebound down…and then throws it away because Evan Turner wasn’t looking for the pass. That’s a tough one to lose.
5:30 Diebler again! That’s his fifth three-pointer. He ties it at 52-52 with 9:00 to play. He now has twenty points.
5:30 Turner hits it from the baseline. Apparently. They were still showing replays.
5:31 Iowa hits another three in transition to regain the lead 55-54. 8:05 remaining. Makes me so mad.
5:32 Diebler again! Again! 57-55 Buckeyes! The curl is killing the Hawkeyes. Now the defense needs to step up.
5:32 Iowa gets fouled and Dallas Lauderdale picks up his fourth foul and will sit for a while. Television timeout. 57-55 Buckeyes with 7:15 to play.
5:36 Iowa misses the free throw. And makes the second. Ohio State leads 57-56 with 7:11 to play.
5:36 Iowa gets called for the hold. Are we shooting free throws yet? I hope not. Good, we’re not.
5:37 Wow! Great stand on the fastbreak by Jon Diebler and then a huge swat by P.J. Hill, and the ball goes out of bounds off of Iowa. P.J.’s contributions today should not be underestimated. David Lighty used to give this team energy. Hill has picked up where Lighty left off in that regard, and then some.
5:38 By the way, I love how Tom Hamilton keeps saying Crater quit the team, because that’s exactly what it was.
5:38 Mullens sinks the easy two. He’s too tall to be stopped if they look for him. Buckeyes lead 59-56 with 5:45 to play.
5:40 Steal! And we lost it on the loose ball. They called P.J. Hill for the foul? That’s pretty pathetic on the loose ball scramble.
5:40 Iowa hits their first. Huge ovation for P.J. Hill. Iowa hits their second. 69-68 Buckeyes with 5:30 remaining.
5:41 Turner gets fouled down low. That’s Iowa’s sixth. We’re safe for the last time.
5:41 Buford hits an 18-footer off of the inbounds pass with zero hesitation. I don’t think situations really phase him.
5:42 Jeff Peterson takes it to the basket and scores, cutting the Buckeye lead to one point.
5:42 Turner drives the baseline and throws the pass off of Mullens’ hands and out of bounds.
5:42 Gatens with the dunk. 22 points for him. Goody, an Adam Haluska for the next generation. Iowa leads 62-61 with 3:50 to play.
5:43 Diebler for three again! The ball rattled in, thought about coming out, then realized it was shot by Jon Diebler and dropped back in. That’s 26 points for Diebler.
5:43 Iowa hits their own three to answer! 65-64 Iowa. What a bunch of shooting jerks!
5:44 Turner gets fouled before he can drive. Television timeout. 65-64 Iowa with 3:14 to play. If Evan is a clutch player, he’ll need to show it when he gets to the free throw line.
5:47 Turner’s first…is in! Second is good too! Buckeyes lead 66-65 with 3:10 remaining.
5:48 And P.J. Hill is in right now down in crunch time.
5:49 Three-second violation negates a wide open look for the Hawkeyes! Thank you refs!
5:49 Turner drives again and gets fouled again. They can’t keep him out of the paint right now. He has to convert, however. And he misses the first free throw. The Buckeyes are 11-19 on foul shots today. Turner hits his second. The Buckeyes lead 67-65 with 2:20 left in the game.
5:50 P.J. Hill picks up the charge at the top of the three-point line! What a great contribution he has made today. And he gets another solid hand as he heads to the bench.
5:52 Turner gets the steal! No, they call him for a foul. That’s his fourth. Wow, that was all ball, but it was a violent swipe. Here come the free throws. He misses! Diebler gets the rebound! 1:20 to play.
5:53 Turner spins on the baseline and misses the eight-footer. He had a good look, but he never thought about getting anybody else involved. Iowa calls a timeout with 1:01 remaining.
5:54 Here we go…
5:54 Iowa misses a good look as P.J. Hill sprinted 20 feet to make it a contested look, and the Buckeyes get the rebound! P.J. Hill gets fouled. Oh boy.
5:55 Okay, turns out there was no foul, it was a timeout and P.J. is on the bench. Thanks Hammy.
5:56 Gatens finally fouls Diebler with 20.7 second remaining. Buckeyes lead 67-65 and this is where Diebler can close the day on a great game. He misses the first. Too strong. Wow. Maybe back up some? He makes the second. Buckeyes lead 68-65. Thad calls a timeout to get his defense squared away.
5:57 Once the clock gets under ten seconds, the Buckeyes better foul, because I don’t feel comfortable giving these jokers another look at a three.
5:59 Here we go…Travel! No call. Gatens misses a three, was fouled, no call, chaos is everywhere, and P.J. Hill dives for the loose ball and gets it to a teammate who throws it down court for the play of the game. And the Buckeyes win 68-65!
6:00 Actually, that wasn’t a foul, Gatens was flopping. Still, that’s a pretty crafty move by a freshman. I am going to hate him so much for the next few years.
6:01 Well, if the Buckeyes have any chance of winning the Big Ten this year, they can’t afford to lose at home, and for a while, this was looking like a game that Iowa was going to steal. But the Buckeyes fought back and wouldn’t lay down. They earned their home win today, which is something that other Big Ten teams couldn’t say for themselves when put in the same position.
6:02 So Minnesota is up next and they’ll be angry after losing at home to Michigan State. They will be looking to take back their home court--not that anybody would want it. It’s all dented and dead and the color scheme is hideous and the elevated floor is ridiculous and the arena is so dark you’d think your night blindness was flaring up.
6:03 Winning at home will keep you in the hunt. Winning on the road will put you out in front.
6:04 I only rhyme in couplets, sorry.
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