Seth's 50 Centers

I offer up a quick analysis of the 2010-11 Ohio State men’s basketball newcomers.

Jared Sullinger

Sullinger, the youngest brother of former Buckeye J.J. Sullinger, was the most highly touted of the freshmen going into the season.

He starred at nearby Northland High School and while he’s very highly rated around the country, it isn’t because of the highlight-type stuff you usually see young players hyped for. This guy is huge, at 6-9, 270 pounds, and he’s like a junkyard dog in the paint. He will likely average a double-double, having posted one in his first outing last night, and should average 10-15 rebounds per game.

He’s the lone freshman to crack the starting lineup full of four returnees, and should be a stabilizing force on the glass as long as he remains on campus.

Aaron Craft

This point guard is possibly my favorite addition to the team. He didn’t come in with the hoopla of Sullinger, or a few of the upcoming players in my analysis, but he could be exactly what OSU needs.

Since Mike Conley left after one season, and the recruitment of his replacement, Noopy Crater, went bust, coach Thad Matta has used a patchwork approach to the point, including moving national player of the year Evan Turner there a year ago.

No, Craft isn’t a starter yet, but in the lone preseason contest, and the season opener Friday, there was a noticeable difference when he was on the floor — IE, the team actually had assists!

Don’t expect Conley, or John Wall, but do expect slick ball-handling, and heady play on both ends of the floor — he’ll get into a lot of passing lanes.

Deshaun Thomas

The most underrated McDonalds All-American you could imagine, I think. He was highly touted, as evidenced by playing in the biggest high school all star game, but Sullinger was clearly the jewel of the class, and some wondered how Thomas would fit in with already established scorers like William Buford and Jon Diebler.

The answer after one game, really well. Thomas seems comfortable on the blocks opposite Sullinger or Dallas Lauderdale, or on the wing, shooting or slashing to the hole. He easily eclipsed 20 points in his first effort, tallying 24 in just 20 minutes. It’ll be nice having instant offense coming off the bench.

Jordan Sibert

Sibert is a guard who can do a lot of things. A broken leg ended his senior year of high school prematurely, and I wonder if it’s still hampering a bit.

He’s been on the floor, but didn’t really jump out at me, but the three aforementioned freshmen are clearly the exception when it comes to the kind of impact they are making right now.

Lenzelle Smith Jr.

Smith missed most of the summer, and the preseason game, with an injured wrist, but he’s the type of guy who could handle the ball if needed, and had a reputation during his prep and AAU days as being a glue guy — one who does whatever it takes to get the job done.

J.D. Weatherspoon

Sullinger’s Northland teammate was committed to Xavier when Sean Miller left and took the Arizona job. Weatherspoon eventually landed an OSU offer and looks like he’ll be a solid player in the future, and could offer some valuable bench minutes in the meantime.

NFL Week Ten

Last week’s games created quite a logjam atop the weekly standings. Five pickers tied with 11 wins apiece, and most were near the overall point total of 11, but only JMB picked the exact overall score of the Monday night game (48).

Begrudginly, I give kudos to the Brownies for their unexpected win over the Patriots. I’m quite distraught about the recent reversal of fortunes that have seen the Bengals go nearly 50 days without a victory.

Oh well, on to the picks!

Results

jmb 11 (plus 1) = 12
Chjm70 11
Big Game 11
The Trashman 11
Teddy 11
Adman 10
Jeff S. 10
Brian I. 10
Jeff W. 10
Patrick F. 10
tgd 10
Jack Ten 10
Seth 9
Kara 9
Grandpa 9
Jeremiah 9
Fulch 9
Amy 9
The CPA 8
GatorBuckeye 8
tgm 8
Jessica 7
Mary the Nurse 7
Lucy Cashew 4
Nora Peanut 3

Overall Standings

1. Chjm70 89*
2. Jeff S. 84*
3. Seth 83
4. Brian I. 82*
5. jmb 81*
6. Fulch 80
7. Big Game 79
8. The Trashman 78
8. Grandpa 78*
8. Jeremiah 78*
8. Adman 78
12. tgd 77
12. GatorBuckeye 77
14. Kara 76
14. Jeff W. 76
16. The CPA 74
16. Patrick F. 74
18. Teddy 73
18. tgm 73
18. Amy 73
18. Lucy Cashew 73**
22. Jessica 71
23. Jack Ten 68
24. Mary the Nurse 67
25. Nora Peanut 64
26. Crazed Wolverine 62

NFL Week Ten

Baltimore (6-2) at Atlanta (6-2) THURSDAY NIGHT
Detroit (2-6) at Buffalo (0-8)
Minnesota (3-5) at Chicago (5-3)
NY Jets (6-2) at Cleveland (3-5)
Cincinnati (2-6) at Indianapolis (5-3)
Tennessee (5-3) at Miami (4-4)
Carolina (1-7) at Tampa Bay (5-3)
Houston (4-4) at Jacksonville (4-4)
Kansas City (5-3) at Denver (2-6)
Dallas (1-7) at NY Giants (6-2)
Seattle (4-4) at Arizona (3-5)
St. Louis (4-4) at San Francisco (2-6)
New England (6-2) at Pittsburgh (6-2)
Philadelphia (5-3) at Washington (4-4) Pts. _____

Make your picks by using the “Comments” section under the headline.