Sorry for the lack of posting, guys.  Much like with Sean, I, too, have fallen into the pitfall that is a daily routine, and unfortunately, for some time, that routine did not include AtO.

Since Sean pretty much covered that whole football thing, I figured that the often times "forgotten" Buckeye sport that is about to tip-off its season warrants some sort of attention.

The Buckeye Men's Basketball team started off its exhibition season last night with a 88-59 victory over Ashland.  As is usually the case with these preseason games, the bench saw extended time, and the team's overall game was not as polished as it will be for the regular season opener come November 12 against Wisconsin-Green Bay.  The victory was a well-rounded one for the Bucks, as 11 of the 13 players on roster saw double-digit minutes.  Greg Oden's partner in crime last season, Othello Hunter, and all-world freshman Kosta Koufos each put up 15 point, 12 rebound performances.  Jamar Butler had 7 points and 7 assists, and David Lighty added another 13 points.  For the official game story and box score, make sure to check out The O-Zone's coverage.

With just over 10 days until the beginning of the Preseason NIT, here is my Buckeye Basketball season preview:

The Replacements:

David Lighty
Replacing: Ron Lewis
Perhaps the least heralded member of last year's team, David Lighty's role on the offensive end will increase an insurmountable amount this year.  Last year, he would be brought into the game almost exclusively for defensive purposes, usually being placed on the opposing team's most dangerous offensive weapon, and then becoming an afterthought offensively; however, this year, Lighty will have to perform on both ends of the court.  He will still have to be a lock-down defender, but he will now be expected to become a 10+ PPG type of player.  Last season, he showed the athleticism to drive to the hoop and create, and can knock down a perimeter jumper when left open, but was not always the most consistent performer.  With another year of development under Thad Matta, look for Lighty's game to take the next step this season as he becomes one of the most complete players in the Big Ten.  If not, the team will suffer dearly.

Jamar Butler
Replacing: Mike Conley Jr.
Of all of the starters that have to replace last season's playmakers, I feel the most confident with this one.  That is probably because Butler really isn't replacing Conley, he's just taking his spot back as a Point Guard.  In the 2005-06 season, Butler's control of the Buckeye offense made him arguably the best  player in the entire conference.  Then, when Mike Conley burst onto the scene, he took over the point guard spot, leaving Butler to jack up threes.  Now, Butler is back in control of the back court, and the offense should continue to thrive.  Essentially, with Butler, we get a smart passer, a smart player, and an excellent shooter who doesn't turn the ball over, and we lose Conley's explosiveness.  I feel good about this spot.  Very good.  It's just what happens when Butler is on the bench that worries me (see later).

Jon Diebler
Replacing: Daequan Cook
Diebler enters his freshman season as a Buckeye as the highest scorer in the history of Ohio High School Basketball.  At 6'7", Diebler possesses a rare mix of a deadly shot and a rebounding force.  Due to his size, Diebler's role will be much, much different than the one that Cook had as a Buckeye.  Sure, Diebler will probably jack up more than his fair share of three point attempts, but he will also have something that Cook didn't have: a remote form of an inside presence.  Unfortunately, Diebler cannot create his own shot as well as Cook could, which means that he will have to rely on his teammates to find him in open situations for him to be productive.

Kosta Koufos
Replacing: That one tall guy
Just about everything that could be said about this replacement has been said.  Koufos, an All-American out of high school, has to replace Greg Oden, the #1 pick in this year's NBA Draft.  It's a near-impossible replacement, because Oden very well may have been the single player that forever changed the fortunes of Ohio State basketball when he committed back in 2005; however, there are a few things working out in our favor that could benefit the team.  For one, Koufos does not have any sort of nagging injury that will keep him out for an extended period of time.  Secondly, his offensive game is more polished at this point in time than Oden's was as a freshman.  Thirdly, Koufos has a more experienced Othello Hunter, a more experienced Matt Terwilliger, and the additions of Vanderbilt transfer Kyle Madsen and freshman Dallas Lauderdale to help him out, three luxuries that Oden never had.

Key Players:

Mystery Man PJ Hill
Key Role: Spelling Butler
When Mike Conley and Daequan Cook jolted for the NBA, it left a glaring hole in the Buckeye back court; there was no real guard -- much less a point guard -- that could effectively back up Jamar Butler.  Then, last July, Thad Matta was given a lovely surprise when JUCO point guard PJ Hill committed to Ohio State just days before the cut-off for class of 2007 signees.  Outside of the Buckeye basketball family, nobody really knows anything about PJ Hill.  His recruiting pages were, for the most part, nonexistent, and Google searches yielded few results.  From what people have been able to figure out, Hill is a solid defender with cool hair, and according to the exhibition game's box score, his only field goal of the night was a three point shot, so that's always nice.  When Butler needs to rest and/or finds himself in foul trouble, it will be up to Hill to manage the offense, and quite frankly, nobody has any idea if he's capable.

Othello Hunter
Key Role: Being a strong defender and staying on the court
The offense will be fine.  Hunter needs not worry about that.  Diebler can hit shots, Koufos can score from anywhere, Lighty can attack the basket, and Butler can hit threes in his sleep.  The defense, especially in the post, will be questionable.  Sure, Koufos averaged around 4 blocks per game playing overseas this summer, but the defensive transition from high school to college takes a lot of time, sometime even a full season, for young players to adjust to.  Just look at Greg Oden, he was a dominating defender, but his inability to adjust to opposing offenses nearly cost Ohio State in the NCAA tournament.  Hunter, however, is primed for a breakout season.  He is in his fifth year of organized basketball, spending some time in JUCO before his first year at OSU, and in his second season, he looks more than capable of shouldering the load.  At times last season, Hunter would block big shots in games to fans reacting, "Did you just see that block Oden just made!?"  That means two things: 1) He was largely overshadowed by Greg, and 2) He is capable of playing defense like Greg.  Hunter's biggest issue last season was getting into foul trouble, so if he can stay on the floor this year, expect big things out of him.

The Rest of the Freshmen
Key Role: Play like college basketball players
It may sound simple enough, but Lauderdale, Evan Turner, Eric Wallace, and redshirt freshman Kyle Madsen will be playing their first bits of organized, competitive college basketball in their lives.  There will be ups and downs, and probably a lengthy adjustment period early on, but if they can all effectively contribute off the bench, it will take loads of pressure off of the other guys.

Overall Prediction

To say that this team will be as good as last year's squad would be unfair at this point.  There is no Greg Oden or Mike Conley on this team that can take over a game at any point.  However, what we do have, is a cohesive mix of experienced players and upstart freshmen that all appear to be ready to take the next step.  A Big Ten title may be out of reach, but anywhere from a 5-7 seed in the NCAA tournament should be considered a reasonable expectation.