I am watching the game as well. It is looking pretty good. Ohio State is cutting and passing and actually playing defense right now. Hopefully they take their game up a notch and don't let down. I want to see this team play to their full potential for once.
Mike Jr. looked great out there, you know, he isn't the best shooter, but he is a good floor general and only a freshman. He has some great on ball defense and reach stepping ability and showed it today. The duo of Hunter and Oden is something special to watch. It is a block-fest just about every game. Good over all game by OSU and it is nice to see them starting to play with heart.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (drake24 @ Jan 6 2007, 04:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Mike Jr. looked great out there, you know, he isn't the best shooter, but he is a good floor general and only a freshman. He has some great on ball defense and reach stepping ability and showed it today. The duo of Hunter and Oden is something special to watch. It is a block-fest just about every game. Good over all game by OSU and it is nice to see them starting to play with heart.</div> I LOVE MIKE CONLEY JR.! This kid is impressive, especially for a freshman. He plays under great control, he can run the offense, he's a good playmaker, he can penetrate, he changes direction at almost the same damn speed, and his defensive anticipation is excellent. I am a big fan of Conley, and all 4 times I have seen him play this year, I have been very impressed. Oden struggled offensively, Illinois did a good job on him defensively. However, Oden was still a huge factor in this game. He was a beast on the glass and he really played good defense (on Pruitt especially). Oden could be a major factor throughout the entire game, even if he didn't take one shot. Once he gets his right wrist 100% healthy, he's going to be unreal. My guy Daequan Cook had a pretty good game as well. He shot the ball pretty well and he was hustling big time. Jamar Butler made a few nice plays as well, he's an excellent veteran to have on the floor for Ohio State. But another guy who gets a little overlooked because of the stars around him is Othello Hunter. He's an all-out hustler, a good defensive player, and he's tough around the basket. He really does a lot for this team. But hey, any relation to Steven Hunter? I've always wondered that. Ohio State owned the game from the start, and their defense was excellent. Illinois clanked damn near every shot they took, and they settled for too many outside shots. Easy win for Ohio State.
Buckeyes had a fantastic game. Oden was a force inside although like you said he had a bad offensive day. He had 15 reboudns and 4 blocks pretty impresive. I look for more of this dominace down the road. This is a great team. I was also glad to see Lewis get a semi good game in there. He is a good player but he has not shown much this year.
