I want to use this space to plead with uber-recruit Terrelle Pryor to pick the Buckeyes over Michigan (or, failing that, to pick anyone over Michigan), but that might be a tad unseemly. Besides, there's basketball to discuss. I haven't given the team its due so far, in part because I'm busy, in part because the Big Ten Network has made it difficult for me to see many of the games, and in part because I just didn't understand the team so far. The team just didn't really have an identity, and that makes them tough to relate to and understand. They weren't an up-tempo, high-scoring team, but neither were they a slow, defensive juggernaut. There wasn't really any player whose ability reached out and grabbed me the way Mike Conley and Greg Oden did. They were mostly a bunch of young guys trying to figure out how they were going to make things work, and that wasn't really much fun. Maybe if they'd broken it down into a montage with some upbeat music, where the guys start out fighting and not playing well, but by the end they're having fund and beating everyone, it would be different, but alas, life is not a Disney movie. All we got were several second-half collapses, along with several games providing reasons to hope.

Today, there's still not much of an identity for the team. Sometimes, they knock down shots, play agressive, trapping defense, and look like a good team. Other times, they can't hit the broad side of a barn with a barn-seeking basketball rocket, and teams effortlessly shred the defense for easy buckets. This isn't surprising, this is a young team. Maybe that's their identity: a bunch of mostly young guys that can play with anyone, but lose to anyone. But we have a large enough body of work to draw some conclusions, and I have the time now to make said conclusions. So here's what we know (or what I think we know) about this year's basketball team.

(A note, all tempo-free stats are coming from Basketball State, the stats side of Mid Majority. It all used to be free, but now it's not. I recently signed up, I'm enjoying it so far, but it's early. I'll pass along my thoughts if I find it especially worthwhile or worthless. The rest of the stats come from the university, the Big Ten, or the NCAA. Those are free, but aren't tempo-free, which is less good.)

Jamar Butler is good, maybe better than you realize.
He's averaging 1.22 points per weighted shot (PPWS primer here), a pretty good number. Considering that he's the focal point of the offense, and the number one priority for defenses, it gets a bit more impressive (aside: Indiana's Eric Gordon has been even more impressive, averaging 1.31 PPWS, living up to his uber-recruit hype, at least in terms of scoring. If only he didn't turn the ball over so often. . .). He's making 43.1% of his threes, good for fifth in the Big Ten. But he's always been a good shooter. This year, he's also doing a good job of getting his teammates involved, averaging 6.3 assists per game, tops in the Big Ten. He's second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.76. And, to top it all off, he's tops in the country in free throw percentage, at 95.6%. Butler's the team's MVP, and it isn't close. I was worried coming into the season about how he could handle being a leader and having to distribute while still scoring, but he's done a very good job of it.

Don't be surprised to see Evan Turner and Jon Diebler reenact last season's David Lighty-Daequan Cook switcheroo.
Early on, last season, the team relied on Cook's scoring, and he shot well enough to make up for his poor shot selection and defense. But as his shots stopped falling and Lighty grew acclimated to the college game, Lighty gradually took more and more of Cook's minutes. Diebler started the season as the fifth starter along with Butler, Lighty, Othello Hunter, and Kosta Koufos. His defense has been okay, but his shooting has seldom been better than average, and it's certainly never been anywhere near the "holy crap!" level of his high school days. But who else was there for Matta to start in his place? Diebler was the best option early on. Gradually, Turner has improved his game, and lately he and Diebler have been splitting time more or less evenly. Turner's big problem has been turnovers: he's always given the ball away too much to make up for his other contributions. I expect that will become less of an issue as he gains experience, and if the Tennessee game was a taste of things to come, I think the team will put up with two and a half turnovers a game. Turner might be the most athletic player on the roster right now. He gets to the basket well, he shoots well (1.24 PPWS, best on the team), and he rebounded very well against Tennessee (against whom he put up a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double). I think it's a real possibility that Matta will go with the hot hand and take Turner's rebounding, athleticism, scoring, and occasional carelessness with the ball over Diebler's inconsistency. Diebler's averaging .86 PPWS; anything below 1.0 is not good, and .86 is "never shoot, ever, seriously" territory. I think Diebler will eventually find his stroke in college; you don't put up the numbers he put up in high school unless you're a good shooter. But until he does, I think Turner's the better option.

For all their trouble, the Buckeyes have played good defense.
I know, I didn't believe it, either. But they're giving up .87 points per possession, good for tops in the Big Ten. Currently, a mediocre offense and a killer schedule is what's holding the team back. This should be pretty encouraging for us as fans. A young team, against the seventh-toughest schedule in the country has been playing the best defense of any Big Ten team. Once the offense comes around (hopefully roughy tournament time), this should be a solid team. I'm hoping Thad sees this and takes note of the effectiveness of the zone defense. I love the 2-3 zone like a fat kid loves cake very much (sorry, almost violated my "Don't quote 50 Cent" New Year's resolution). If the players are disciplined, intelligent, and a good fit for their roles in the defense, I think it's better, at least at the college level, than man defense. Plus, I find it more fun to watch. So, stick with the zone, Thad.

This is an average team right now, but just wait.
Looking at the statistics, the team as a whole doesn't stand out anywhere besides defense. And, as I said at the beginning, they don't really have an identity. But sooner or later, they will. Maybe Turner will come into his own or Diebler's shots will start falling. Maybe Koufos will get tougher down low, to complement his shooting stroke. Or maybe it won't happen this year, and maybe it'll take a couple guys from next year's talented recruiting class to get the team over the hump. But it will happen. The players are too talented, and Matta's too good a coach, for this team to not be competing for the Big Ten title.