BG at Ohio
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 11:16 am
It's gonna be tough to bounce back after the loss to CMU with a tough road trip to Athens. This Ohio team is very balanced and can score from beyond the arc or in the paint. They have four players have started every game and they all average double figures in scoring (five players averaging in double figures in all). Ohio received a massive boost this year with its two new D-I transfers in Jaaron Simmons (from Houston) and Kenny Kaminski (from Michigan State). Even though they had some big losses from last year, it looks like they're a better team this year even with those losses and a lot of that boils down to these two transfers. These aren't transfers who came in looking to find a way on the floor. They're both impact transfers who started immediately.
Simmons is a MAC Player of the Year candidate averaging 15.3 ppg and 7.5 assists per game! He's not a one-and-done player either as he has two more years left. He's gonna be a force in the MAC this year and for years to come. THIS is the kid of guard we need running our team as even if we combined Joseph and Ali into one player they still don't equal what Simmons is. He attacks the lane, can finish in traffic, and can dish it when teams collapse on his penetration. He also can score from ourside. Anthony Stacey actually coached Kaminski in high school, so he knows our players can't get lulled to sleep when he steps outside as a "big man" because he's a three-point shooter (most made 3's on the team). Antonio Campbell is a load down low and has range out to three. Treg Setty looks much improved this year and a newcomer who had impressed me very much is Jordan Dartis. He's a All-MAC Freshmen Team candidate who can really shoot. I saw Ohio play vs Tulsa and Florida State and came away very impressed.
BG and OU have a pair of common opponents as we both beat Florida Gulf Coast and Cleveland State. We swept Ohio last year but I see no way of that happening this year. I just don't think we have the horses to run with them this year. If we had Holmes back this year I'd like our chances again. But we don't. And after Athens, we head to EMU to face that dreaded 2-3 zone. Buckle up, this could be a bumpy week.
Simmons is a MAC Player of the Year candidate averaging 15.3 ppg and 7.5 assists per game! He's not a one-and-done player either as he has two more years left. He's gonna be a force in the MAC this year and for years to come. THIS is the kid of guard we need running our team as even if we combined Joseph and Ali into one player they still don't equal what Simmons is. He attacks the lane, can finish in traffic, and can dish it when teams collapse on his penetration. He also can score from ourside. Anthony Stacey actually coached Kaminski in high school, so he knows our players can't get lulled to sleep when he steps outside as a "big man" because he's a three-point shooter (most made 3's on the team). Antonio Campbell is a load down low and has range out to three. Treg Setty looks much improved this year and a newcomer who had impressed me very much is Jordan Dartis. He's a All-MAC Freshmen Team candidate who can really shoot. I saw Ohio play vs Tulsa and Florida State and came away very impressed.
BG and OU have a pair of common opponents as we both beat Florida Gulf Coast and Cleveland State. We swept Ohio last year but I see no way of that happening this year. I just don't think we have the horses to run with them this year. If we had Holmes back this year I'd like our chances again. But we don't. And after Athens, we head to EMU to face that dreaded 2-3 zone. Buckle up, this could be a bumpy week.