Ohio State @ Wisconsin- Bad Defense Makes Me a Sad Panda

I'm going to tell you something about me and basketball. In basically all sports, I love good defense. I know a lot of people like high scoring, fast paced action, but not me. I want my teams to dominate on the defensive end. So, I don't mind if Ohio State has a game where they don't shoot well. That wasn't really the case today though. The problem today was defensive mistakes and those piss me off.

Wisconsin was able to shoot 12 of 25 from beyond the arc. I think most people are inclined to say that was just Wisconsin shooting lights out. I don't think that was the case today. On defense Ohio State failed to close out quickly or simply failed to respect the ability of all of Wisconsin's players to knock the three. Perhaps, the example of this that most upset me was in the second half. Taylor brought the ball up the to the left wing. Even though he had knocked down basically everything he had put up in the second half, Craft played entirely to take away his ability to drive right, which allowed him an easy three.

Twice, Wisconsin got bailed out by Ohio State defenders committing stupid fouls with only one second left on the shot clock. One was by Craft and the other was Diebler, but both were the same dumb mistake. It's a simple rule on defense, don't leave your feet against a jump shooter. The result was after playing 34 seconds of great defense Wisconsin was handed points.

I've been so impressed with Aaron Craft's defense so far this year. His defense has effectively shut down virtually every guard he's been put against. Today he was solid against Taylor, but he made quite a few critical mistakes. He's still the best man defender on the team and will important if Ohio State is to have a legitimate chance at the National Championship.

It just sucks that the Buckeye's lost today. For some reason it's even more annoying know Ohio State would've won if there were no three point line. I'm not one to look for a positive in a loss. The idea that the pressure is off seems like nonsense to me. However, Ohio State still has a 2-game lead on the field in the Big 10, so Wisconsin and their despicable fans can suck on that.

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael