With the conference season now upon us, the IDS would like to introduce you to a new men's basketball feature we will be having before each game: "Big Ten Breakdown."
We'll be talking with the beat writer or columnist for every opponent IU will face for the rest of the season to give fans more in-depth information and analysis.
This week Bob Baptist, OSU men's basketball beat reporter for The Columbus Dispatch, was nice enough to join us.
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IDS: For those who have not seen the Buckeyes play this season, what should they expect in Friday's game?
Bob Baptist: They can expect to see a lot of balance based on the different places Ohio State can score the ball. With Jared Sullinger in the lineup this year, they can score inside, which they haven't been able to do in the past real well. They can obviously score outside with the guards that they got.
On the defensive end, Ohio State starts a big lineup with Sullinger and Dallas Lauderdale in the game. They also bring in Aaron Craft, the little freshman point guard, at the first timeout. The defense has actually been the best part of their game this year. They've been forcing quite a few turnovers and Lauderdale's a pretty good presence inside.
IDS: Ohio State obviously lost a lot with 2010 Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner leaving for the NBA, but some believe this season's team is even better than last year's. Would you agree with this statement?
BB: I think this season's team is better. No. 1 because of the inside presence with Sullinger. They're also much more balanced - a lot more guys are touching the ball and doing different things with the ball than they did last year from the standpoint of assists and setting up their teammates.
Last year, pretty much everything centered around Evan. If they didn't get a good shot early in the shot clock, they were going to find a way to get the ball in Evan's hands and let him manufacture something.
This year, if they don't find a shot early in the shot clock, the ball is going to go to whoever is open at that point in the possession. I just think because of their balance and ability to rely on four different guys offensively on any possession, I think they are better.
IDS: What makes Sullinger such a special player? Are you a surprised at all by how effective he has been this season?
BB: I am a little bit. Sullinger has had his best games against the three most talented teams they have played - Florida, Florida State and South Carolina. He's averaged over 20 points and 14 rebounds against those three teams.
He's relentless as a rebounder, which he freely admits is the biggest part of his game. It's how he judges if he's playing hard enough. Also, his feet are really quick. It allows him to get rebounds before other guys can. Somebody told me - one of the T.V. announcers - they refer to him as 'a dancing bear.' It's a real apt description of him.
IDS: Other than Sullinger, what player on this year's team has impressed you the most?
BB: Lauderdale has been playing better. He's not a great threat offensively, but he's playing really well on defense and he's rebounding better.
I would say, though, that Aaron Craft has been the biggest surprise. He played for a Division 3 high school in Northwest Ohio. He's a really good athlete - he was an all-state quarterback but gave up football his senior year in high school to work full-time on his basketball - but I don't think a lot of people believed he could play on this level right away.
A lot of this was because of the high school competition he played against, but he was on a really good AAU team. He has shown the ability to stay in front of his man on defense, no matter who he is playing. On offense, his assist-to-turnover ratio is almost 3:1. He doesn't play outside of himself. He plays very solid and doesn't make many mistakes. For that reason, he's been playing almost starters minutes off the bench.
IDS: What do you believe IU must do on Friday to have a chance of beating the Buckeyes?
BB: This has been the dilemma all during the pre-conference season for other coaches: do you double Sullinger in the post or do you play him one-on-one and guard the perimeter to not give them the three-point shot. Most coaches seem to want to single Sullinger and guard the perimeter. I would double Sullinger and take a chance on Ohio State not making their threes.
Everybody on the perimeter can make a three. But if you don't double Sullinger, he's going to get 20 points and probably 15 rebounds. I would double him and take a chance that somebody like Jon Diebler or David Lighty is not going to hit his threes and see how that goes.
IDS: How do you see Friday's game turning out?
BB: I would think that Indiana will play better than they did against Penn State. With that said, as efficiently as Ohio State has played, I don't think Indiana can beat them.
But stranger things have happened early on the road in the Big Ten season. When teams are first feeling each other out, that's when upsets usually happen. I don't preclude anything from happening, but I would probably think Ohio State would win by 10 or 15 points.
