Rapid Reaction: Ohio State Men's B-Ball dominates Duke

Rapid Reaction:

    Last night at 9:30 PM, the 2nd ranked Buckeyes took on the 3rd ranked Blue Devils and put together what Dicky Vitale called the most dominating performance this season thus far in college basketball.  Without reviewing the game film, here are 8 rapid observations I made within the Buckeyes and Blue Devils game:

8 Observations:

- Ohio State is, at this point, the best College Basketball team in the country: They will also likely be given that honor in the next edition of polls next week.

- Aaron Craft is one of the quickest players in College Basketball this season: Some may underestimate the Sophomore out of Liberty-Benton High School, but he showed up on the biggest stage last night with 17 points and 8 assists.  What was maybe most impressive was his heady play and extreme quickness on the court, the kid plays fast and it's going to be fun to watch him grow even more.

- Duke will continue to grow: In my opinion, Duke can be a top-10 team this season, and will likely mature in time for March Madness. This squad will likely end up making a run in the big dance. The challenge for the Buckeyes, will be continuing to improve, and that starts with developing some younger players off the bench.

- Austin Rivers is learning: The freshmen played well in only his eighth collegiate contest, putting up 22 points on 18 shots.  He isn't afraid to shoot the ball, and as he continues to get his feet wet, will improve and likely enter the NBA draft as a lottery pick next season.

- Maybe, just maybe, I can live with the chucking of Deshaun Thomas: Anyone who has watched Thomas play, including last season, has realized that this kid is a chucker.  The only shot he doesn't take is likely a shot of vodka before games.  Who knows, maybe he even does that.  The point is, Thomas filled it up in a hurry last night, as he was 7-9 shooting at half-time.  Some games it's going to get ugly for Buckeye fans when he can't find his groove. I do however think I can live with it as long as he can equal it out with games like last night.

- The Buckeyes could go undefeated *knocks on wood*: At 7-0, it's extremely early to start this talk, but the point must be made that if the Buckeyes continue to play this type of unselfish ball, the toughest opponents on their schedule have already passed.  Now if I was a betting man, I'd assume the Buckeyes will drop at least 2-3 in conference games in a BRUTAL Big Ten conference this season, but time will well!

- Ohio State DOES have a bench: In years past, Thad Matta's teams have been very thin and without depth.  At first glance, when fans realize that the starters scored 79 of the 85 total points against Duke, they may come to the realization that there is no bench on this Buckeyes team.  Give them time though, young players like Shannon Scott and Amir Williams have the ability to eventually break the roster.  I was especially impressed with the defensive play of Boston College transfer, Evan Ravenel.

- Players like Lenzelle Smith Jr and Aaron Craft breed unselfish play: With a star player like Jared Sullinger and a shot-chucker like Deshaun Thomas, you might expect some selfish play.  This was completely contrary to what actually happened and last night I witnessed some of the best ball movement in Buckeye basketball for the last 5 or 6 years.


Couple of notes about the blog: I'd like to welcome Jeremy Sexton and Jacob Mowery to the staff as full-time contributors here at 'Jimbo Says'.  Expect a couple of pieces from them coming soon, including an exciting piece from Mowery regarding Urban Meyer and Ohio State's football recruiting class!  Also, after this weekend in college football I'll be doing a 16-team College Football Playoff simulation using www.whatifsports.com, all while explaining while I believe that D-1 College Football needs a playoff.  Make sure and stay tuned, and follow the twitter at www.twitter.com/Jfleezy12!

Capital University at Heidelberg University Game Preview

 The 'Berg hosts Capital in OAC opener
 Capital Crusaders vs Heidelberg Student Princes
Listen live at 7:30 PM at www.heidelberg.edu/whei, or if you're in the listening area 88.9 FM WHEI.  Josh Stallings and myself will have the call.
Projected Starters:
Heidelberg: 1-2, (0-0)
PG: #2 Dane Givner
SG: #1 Quinten Aden Jr.
SF: #5 Darion Capers
PF: #40 Nate Davis
C: #25 Victor Fortkamp

Capital: 2-2, (0-0)
PG: #5 Adam Blake
SG: #4 Kelly Winter
SF: #24 Michael Sommer
PF: #40 Spencer Niekamp
C: #34 Jared Cashen



'Berg player to watch: Dane Givner, although only averaging 10 PPG so far this season, Givner is a leader on this team as well as a proven scorer and defensive threat.  Givner will be matched up on young freshmen PG Adam Blake, so look for the crafty Junior to have a big game.

Capital player to watch: Michael Sommer, averaging 13.5 PPG early in the season, and shooting a very healthy 42% clip from beyond the arc, Berg's perimeter defense will need to be at it's best to limit Sommer from going off.

Key match-up: Berg's Nate Davis vs Capital's Spencer Niekamp and other bigs.  Davis led the OAC in block's last year and the junior is a perennial All-OAC defensive player of the year.  Niekamp on the other hand is a great post scorer, leading the Crusader squad with 16.3 PPG, also watch because he is capable of shooting the 3-ball (7-20 this season).

OAC Standings update: Since the in-conference season has yet to kick-off, Heidelberg is 8th in non-conference record at 1-2, and Capital ranks 6th.

Team Statistical breakdown: 
                             'Berg - Capital:

Scoring Offense: 64.5 (8th) - 69.5 (5th)

Scoring Defense: 74.3 (7th) - 69.2 (5th)

Shooting %: 47.1% (2nd) - 41.5% (8th)

Opposing Shooting %: 44.9% (7th) - 44.8% (6th)

3 Pt %: 31.2% (5th) - 37% (3rd)

Opposing 3 pt%: 36.4% (7th) - 35.8 % (5th)

FT %: 58.5% (9th) - 72% (2nd)

Turnovers: 20.0 (10th) - 15.5 (5th)

Game outlook:
    Both squads enter this OAC opener coming off of  losses. Capital dropped a game to Denison 90-76 and the 'Berg lost on a tip-in basket at the buzzer to Albion (Mich.) College 67-66. The biggest key right now for Heidelberg will be the need for a continuance of scoring from players like Darion Capers, who is averaging 16.3 Pts/game right now early in the season. The inside out combo of scoring from Capers and 6-8 Sophomore Fortkamp (14.7 per game) has been good in the early goings of the season, but for the 'Berg to get back to its winning ways, they need good efforts from Givner as well as Aden Jr, and Sophomore guard Mike Petrie (7.3 PPG).  Local product Cole Williams, graduate of Tiffin Columbian high school may also be needed off the bench for his shooting touch, rarely used early in the season, Williams is averaging just 4.5 minutes per game.  Regardless of who does the scoring, Coach Anthony Gholson needs his bench to step it up in that regard, the team is averaging just over 14 points/game from the bench bunch.
    Capital likes to work the ball through their post player, 6-6 Junior forward Spencer Niekamp.  Niekamp leads his team in scoring with 16.3 a game, and has the capability of scoring from anywhere on the court.  The Crusaders will also look to sharp outside shooting from Sommer, as well as 6-4 Senior wing Tyler Munro (7.3 ppg).  The Crusaders will need to continue to force the ball handlers for the Student Princes to make mistakes, Hiedelberg is dead last in the OAC in turnovers, turning the ball over 20 times per game.  If the 'Berg turns it over 20 times or more, they have very little chance of leaving Sieberling with a victory on Wednesday night.  Lastly, monitor the free throw shooting in this one, if the game is left at the line, Heidelberg must improve it's shooting at the charity stripe in order to prevail.


Fearless Prediction: 'Berg 74, Capital 71

Tune in to 88.9 FM WHEI for live game coverage and to hear 'Jimbo's keys to the game' during pre-game!

Tiffin Columbian High School Football wrap-up

    Although the proximity of this piece isn't completely relevant, I think there is still a need for my blog (in its infant stage), to at least acknowledge the season of the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes.  Special shout-out though to the team who beat them in the regional finals 35-21, Avon High school, who put a thumping on Aurora in the State Semi's last week 43-20.  Avon has a very impressive squad, led by RB Ross Douglas, who ran for 164 yards and 3 TD's against TC, including 41 and 39-yard TD scampers.  Avon keyed in part by star senior WR Matt Eckhardt, had a key run against the Tornadoes out of the wildcat, and many onlookers would agree that this coaching move made the difference in the 4th quarter.  Avon led by Coach Mike Elder  moves on this week to play in the state championship against a very impressive Trotwood-Madison squad.  Trotwood-Madison coming off of a 47-44 thriller against Columbus Marion-Franklin, will pose a difficult challenge for this Eagles team.


    Regardless of what happens, it seems there is a real shot that Avon could become Division 2 state champions this season.  Why does this matter for the Tornadoes and their fans?  This means that TC would now have lost 2 seasons straight in the regional finals (a team record for how far in the playoffs the Tornadoes have ever been, marking the 3rd time they've reached the regional finals, also marking the 2nd consecutive season), this also means that TC would've lost to the eventual state champion both years.  Last year after a tough loss to Columbus Bishop Watterson, Watterson moved on to take the State title.  This means very good things for the Tornadoes and although this team hasn't been able to burst that regional final bubble, things look very good in the future for Tornado fans.  Head Coach Brian Colatruglio has a 21-5 record for the Tornadoes in his first two seasons, including a 4-2 playoff record.  Coach 'Codge' has helped take the Tiffin Columbian program to new heights, building off the tradition that former longtime TC coach Steve Gilbert had built.  This is all just a little food for thought for TC fans, but to me, you've gotta enjoy this success that the Tornadoes have had and look forward to the future with enthusiasm, as long as Colatruglio is at the helm, positive things can definitely happen

    Now that all of that is over and done with, it's time to hand out some post-season accolades within the team:

Record: 10-3
3rd in NOL
All-Jimbo Overall MVP: RB/LB Jack Jacoby
All-Jimbo Offensive MVP: WR Jonah Boyer
All-Jimbo Co-Defensive MVPs: DB Shane Hossler and OL/DL Carter Mullins
Unsung-hero linemen of the year: OL/DL Carter Mullins

    Special kudos to QB/DB Ben Davis for showing great leadership throughout the season, when a lot of people didn't expect him to be able to fill the shoes of graduated former QB Ryan Tittle, he became the game manager the Tornadoes needed to make a good playoff run.  Also, congratulations to all the Tornadoes and other NOL performers who made the All-NOL squad, the full list can be found here: http://www.fandy.com/node/353616

    Well this will just about wrap-up my first substantive post on the blog.  Next up will probably be some college and NFL analysis.  If you're interested in writing for the Jimbo Says blog, please e-mail me at JFlint@heidelberg.edu .  I hope you've enjoyed the write-up.

Writers note: Congratulations to Tiffin Columbian for 18 straight seasons with at least 7 wins, this dates back to 1994. During these 18 seasons, TC has accumulated 10 NOL titles, and an overall record of 156-42, a staggering winning % of .788

Welcome to 'Jimbo Says'!

Hello viewers of the worldwide web!  I'm excited to create the first post of my blogging career.  If you're looking for local sports information, opinions and predictions of D-1 college sports and pro sports, and maybe even some dry humor every once in a while, then you're in the right place! 

To start off, here's a little bit about me: my name is Jimmy Flint, and I'm a radio personality on the local Tiffin radio station, 1600 AM WTTF.  I also do a radio show for my college, and our station is 88.9 FM WHEI.  If you're interested in some of my opinions and would like to do a call in for my WHEI show, or if you'd just like to listen in to some of either of the shows I am on, here is my schedule:
 
Monday Night Sports Talk - Mondays from 5-6 PM, live at Fort Ball Pizza Palace, tune into 1600 AM, 93.3 FM, or www.wttf.com to hear John Spahr, Drew Felton and myself debate and talk about local, college, and pro sports.
Wednesday Night Sports Report - Wednesday nights from 6-8 PM, various guests, including Heidelberg, Columbian, and Calvert athletes will be joining Alex Koenig, Jeremy Sexton, and myself to discuss what's going on in the sports world.

I'd appreciate the support if people are interested in listening in.  I hope to be posting about 3-5 times per week, and probably one of the most interesting things I'll be doing starting this week will be the local high school basketball previews.  I'll also keep all the Heidelberg supporters updated as the season continues to move on.

I hope you all enjoy the page, remember to follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/Jfleezy12, I'll be posting my updated blogs on their as well as various breaking news stories from throughout the sports world.