| 03 January 2011
Interesting how two or three wins can reset expectations. With wins over Arizona State on Dec. 30, 80-58, and Arizona on Sunday, 76-75, the OSU Beavers are 2-0 in Pac-10 play and the team's shaky non-conference play is mostly forgotten -- certainly forgiven. Conference opponents no doubt understand that the Beavers can win games in many ways -- some nights defense, or three-point shooting, or getting to the foul line -- and the Beavers can expect to win on any given night. Arizona was expected to challenge Washington for top team in the Pac-10. Right now, it's the Beavers sharing the top spot with the Huskies.
The Notes
Defense Evolving: Credit OSU Coach Craig Robinson for not being over-committed to his trademark 1-3-1 defense. The trapping zone was largely the reason for several non-conference losses, so the Beavers are only applying the defense situationally now. Against Arizona State, OSU sat back in a 2-3 zone and used the 1-3-1 sparingly, stealing the ball only 6 times in the game. OSU is averaging roughly 11 steals per game on the season; against Arizona on Sunday, that's exactly the number of steals the Beavers tallied, 11. OSU used the 1-3-1 more frequently against the Wildcats, and Jared Cunningham, the Pac-10's leader in steals, finished Sunday's game with 5 steals.
Many Ways to Win: One mark of a good team is that it can win in a variety of ways, can adjust and compensate from one game to the next. Against ASU, the Beavers hit 8-22 threes and were supported by solid bench shooting, with freshmen Ahmad Starks and Roberto Nelson each contributing 12 points. Nelson went scoreless on Sunday and Starks only scored 2 points against Arizona; however, Calvin Haynes bounced back from a 7-point effort to score 18 against the Wildcats -- including 4 clutch free throws down the stretch -- and freshman Devon Collier netted 10 after putting up only 4 points in the first Pac-10 game of the season. In short, the team has many weapons and can find ways to win when one or two guys have an off night.
Cunningham's Impressive Play: Cunningham's free throw run ended at 34 straight on Sunday, tying Vince Fritz's record set in 1967. The sophomore guard finished the last two games with 17 points and 16 points, respectively, and his three-point shooting seems to be paralleling his improved free-throw shooting, as is often the case for guards. He shot 3-6 from downtown against the Arizona schools. Most memorable, though, was Cunningham's monster putback with 3 minutes remaining off a Joe Burton miss against Arizona. After the game, Robinson said he was hurrying home to see if the dunk made Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays. Indeed, it was number 6.
Burton in a Groove: Forward Joe Burton scored a career-high 17 points against ASU and followed it up with 16 against Arizona. He's been more aggressive in the paint, using his quickness to get by taller defenders, and his sharp passing continues to be an important part of the OSU offense.
Wallace's Role Diminishing: Senior Lathen Wallace, as we've expected, has seen his minutes and his scoring decrease significantly in Pac-10 play. He's logged 7 and 9 minutes, respectively, and totaled 2 points in OSU's two conference victories. Given the young talent on the wings, and Wallace's one-dimensional game, 5-10 minutes per game may become the norm for the OSU long-distance specialist.
Quick Triggers: If you want to see Craig Robinson get hot on the sideline, take a look after one of his guys puts up a long three early in the shot clock. Guilty parties of late: Omari Johnson, Roberto Nelson, Angus Brandt, Calvin Haynes. While Robinson wants to see his shooters get into a rhythm, too often guys are putting up threes early in the shot clock at inopportune times. Nelson in particular will need to recognize when he should and shouldn't try to find his touch. Suggestion from every basketball coach anywhere: find it at the free throw line first, then take your game outside.
Heading North: The Beavers face Washington State in Pullman on Jan. 6, then face the Washington Huskies in Seattle on Jan. 8 before returning home to face UCLA on Jan. 13. The schedule only gets tougher over the next 10 days. For now, though, the Beavers stand atop the Pac-10, much to the surprise of many.
photo: osu athletic department
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