It was mid-day in Columbus, my brother, a few of his friends and I walked to Ohio Stadium surrounded by the smell of cooking bratwursts, peanuts, and cheap beer. Just like any normal game day, I watched my brother and several friends go through the student gate and then snuck in myself to go up to the student section. It seemed like every other game day before but as I walked to my seat I found myself in desperate need of the men's room. I scanned the loud and drunken crowd for the sign but my need to find the lavatory ceased when I saw a tall figure standing against the wall. I did a quick double take, triple take, I even thought about a quadruple take it couldn't be real. Thad Matta was no more than 10 feet away from me and no one but myself had noticed. I quickly jabbed my brother and said “Dude its frickin' Thad Matta.” I rushed over and like a timid 1st grader stammered out “Hi Coach, um would it be okay if I got a picture with you.” So i passed my camera phone to some a scraggly looking man who was obviously intoxicated that took the picture. As I walked away I ran back quickly shook his hand and said “Coach win us another Big Ten Championship” he looked me in the eye and said “ Well son thats a long way away but we're doing our best.” A long way away you say Thad, you couldn't be closer to the truth.

For years now I have been studying Ohio State basketball like it was my college major. This year has been no different coming into the season Buckeye fans knew losing Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, and Ron Lewis would be hard on the team but no one expected it to be this bad. So far a Buckeye team oozing with talent has fallen very short of expectations.

The Buckeye faithful were as excited to see Kosta Koufos play this year as Rosie O'Donnell when she sees a ham sandwich. Sporting News even said Koufos might be the best American basketball player come draft time, but so far all he has done is disappoint. Koufos was heralded as an amazing shooter but he shoots just 27% from three-point land and has more bricks than the Brooklyn Bridge. The sad thing is, as bad as Koufos has played this season he still averages 13 points a game and is the teams second leading scorer. Other than Koufos' shooting troubles one thing really sticks out about the big man, he is 7'1 and 265 lbs and still struggles in the post to take advantage of the opposition with his size. Koufos has failed to come up in the Buckeyes' biggest games and has failed when they need him most he struggled against North Carolina putting up just 4 points against the Tar Heels and managed just four point in the Buckeyes' cliff hanger loss to Michigan State 66-60.

Although Koufos' inability to live up to expectations has been a rain cloud hanging over the Buckeyes' season, it has been far from the only problem. Matt Terwilliger may be a senior but he provides no leadership on the floor and is well below the expectations one would set for a senior. Terwilliger looks lost on the floor and plays with no emotion, he provides no senior leadership and just takes up one of the teams scholarships. Dallas Lauderdale may be a freshman but he has twice the talent and athleticism as Terwilliger and is seeing half the minutes of playing time. Terwilliger's inability to perform in the post has become like Kryptonite for the Buckeyes and Matta has yet to realize it.

The amount of effort on the team being exerted has been one of my biggest concerns throughout the season. I have no problem with the 2-3 zone Matta has the Bucks playing but the lack of hustle down the floor allows teams to open up their full court the defense before it has a chance to set up. Koufos and Terwilliger aren't pulling their weight and freshman John Diebler who was one of the best shooters in the nation his senior year is shooting just 27% from behind the arc. Evan Turner has been doing a great job as of late stepping up when he comes off the bench but he is only a freshman and has a bright future but the Bucks need more help from the bench and veteran players. Right now it seems as if only Butler, Lighty, and Hunter are the only ones that want to win, every other player we have on the roster seems to be playing about as hard as a scrub you could find at your local pick-up game.

The second half has been the bane of Ohio State's season thus far. At halftime Ohio State led North Carolina and Butler and ended up losing to both and they were within striking distance of Tennessee and Michigan State and came up short do to lackluster performances in the second half. If Ohio State can't play their A game in the second half, they will have their fare share of troubles come tournament time when the winner can be decided solely on second half performance.

With the end of the season coming up along with the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments in the foreseeable future, the Buckeyes have a variety of issues to deal with. Thad Matta needs to have him team show up in the second half of games because if they don't they'll be headed home early from both tournaments. Koufos also needs to become more reliable because right now I would gamble on him carrying the team about as often as I would bet on 00 in roulette. If this team steps up and plays to their ability a sweet 16 birth could be in their future and a trip to the elite eight wouldn't be out of the question either. However, if this team doesn't find its identity soon this season will end with the disappointment of the fans, students, coaches, and players alike.