MBB: (5) Michigan State 72, (3) Ohio State 68 (OT)

[pfrduke]

The Buckeyes just closed the second half on a 20-3 run, in the Breslin Center, to send the game to overtime. Ridiculous comeback. And they already have the 8 points in 50+ seconds performance against Notre Dame.

[Dukehky]

Craft is incredible. I don't think either of these teams can win a national title, especially OSU because they don't have enough scoring, but I wouldn't want to play them. OSU has one of the best defensive backcourts I can remember.

[Dukehky]

I also really like Dakich as a commentator. This has been a fun game to watch and listen to.

[FerryFor50]

Craft is incredible. I don't think either of these teams can win a national title, especially OSU because they don't have enough scoring, but I wouldn't want to play them. OSU has one of the best defensive backcourts I can remember.

I get a little tired of the "hands up but run your body into the offensive player" defense. It's a foul that doesn't seem to get called on Craft. Not sure why.

[Dukehky]

I get a little tired of the "hands up but run your body into the offensive player" defense. It's a foul that doesn't seem to get called on Craft. Not sure why.

Totally agree, and every big ten coach hates it because he kind of has the Hansbrough thing going for him in that he can't possibly do anything wrong, but have you seen the hustle and smart plays he's made in the past 4 game minutes? The kid plays his butt off, and if the refs don't call it, it's not really his fault...

[FerryFor50]

Totally agree, and every big ten coach hates it because he kind of has the Hansbrough thing going for him in that he can't possibly do anything wrong, but have you seen the hustle and smart plays he's made in the past 4 game minutes? The kid plays his butt off, and if the refs don't call it, it's not really his fault...

Oh he def plays hard. Doesn't make me like him, though, just like Hansbrough . :)

[Dukehky]

Oh he def plays hard. Doesn't make me like him, though, just like Hansbrough . :)

He looks way less terrible when he does it got the whole pinkish hugh in the cheek and baby face. Doesn't look like it's going to matter anyway. OSU just can't score at the clip I think is necessary to win a title. I know that wasn't really a question posed in the thread, but that's what most of it is ultimately about right?

[pfrduke]

He looks way less terrible when he does it got the whole pinkish hugh in the cheek and baby face. Doesn't look like it's going to matter anyway. OSU just can't score at the clip I think is necessary to win a title. I know that wasn't really a question posed in the thread, but that's what most of it is ultimately about right?

I dunno, others of us can enjoy a random Tuesday night game between top 5 teams without worrying about their respective long term prospects. This is fun, intense basketball. Does it need to be about more?

[Dukehky]

I dunno, others of us can enjoy a random Tuesday night game between top 5 teams without worrying about their respective long term prospects. This is fun, intense basketball. Does it need to be about more?

It doesn't need to be, but if you watched this game without wondering how each team could do in the tournament or against Duke more specifically then you and I are different. Not that that is a good or bad thing, just different. I love watching games every night of the week, and part of my enjoyment is to gauge for myself how I think these teams will fair in general in March. It doesn't need to be about more than the game, but that is part of what I, personally, like about watching.

[pfrduke]

Tom Izzo: "Some of our guys played like little boys." Ha! Probably a tough practice tomorrow, notwithstanding the win.

[TexHawk]

Craft is incredible. I don't think either of these teams can win a national title, especially OSU because they don't have enough scoring, but I wouldn't want to play them. OSU has one of the best defensive backcourts I can remember.

Here's the weird thing about Craft. Don't get me wrong, he's a great help defender, lots of hustle plays, etc., but why doesn't anybody notice that his primary defensive assignment was the leading scorer in this game? This happens a lot, and I don't understand it at all. Brandon Paul famously put up 43 points on OSU and Craft two seasons ago. He then torched Craft so much in the early part of last year's game, Thad Matta just pulled Craft onto Tracy Abrams to avoid further embarrassment (OSU eventually lost by 20). Trey Burke put up great numbers against Craft too.

[Dukehky]

Here's the weird thing about Craft. Don't get me wrong, he's a great help defender, lots of hustle plays, etc., but why doesn't anybody notice that his primary defensive assignment was the leading scorer in this game? This happens a lot, and I don't understand it at all. Brandon Paul famously put up 43 points on OSU and Craft two seasons ago. He then torched Craft so much in the early part of last year's game, Thad Matta just pulled Craft onto Tracy Abrams to avoid further embarrassment (OSU eventually lost by 20). Trey Burke put up great numbers against Craft too.

Color me surprised. I wasn't really commenting on his on ball defense in this game in particular. Just some of the incredible hustle/nose for the ball type deals. I was actually much more impressed with the defense of Scott and Thompson. I did kind of drink the kool aid on his defense though, I still think he's pretty good.

[Des Esseintes]

He looks way less terrible when he does it got the whole pinkish hugh in the cheek and baby face. Doesn't look like it's going to matter anyway. OSU just can't score at the clip I think is necessary to win a title. I know that wasn't really a question posed in the thread, but that's what most of it is ultimately about right?

OSU is good enough to potentially garner a 1-seed. Any 1-seed is good enough to win a title, if fortune smiles.

[CDu]

Here's the weird thing about Craft. Don't get me wrong, he's a great help defender, lots of hustle plays, etc., but why doesn't anybody notice that his primary defensive assignment was the leading scorer in this game? This happens a lot, and I don't understand it at all. Brandon Paul famously put up 43 points on OSU and Craft two seasons ago. He then torched Craft so much in the early part of last year's game, Thad Matta just pulled Craft onto Tracy Abrams to avoid further embarrassment (OSU eventually lost by 20). Trey Burke put up great numbers against Craft too.

First of all, I'm pretty sure Craft spent most of his time on Harris, not Appling. The times I saw Appling score were either in transition or against Scott. But beyond that, when you're asked to guard the other team's best offensive player as Craft often is, you're often going to get beaten. That's just the nature of the beast.

Furthermore, I'd argue that Paul (who is a big, physical, athletic SG) was probably not a good matchup for Craft. Craft's strength is his strength. Paul more than offsets that with his own physicality, and he had a substantial height and athleticism edge as well. And Burke was a lottery pick. No shame in getting beaten by Burke.

Craft is a terrific defender both off-ball and on-ball. That reputation has allowed him to get away with more contact than he should (which helps make him a better defender). Is he flawless? No. He's not incredibly quick, and not explosive at all. But he competes, makes life very difficult for most of his covers, is a terror in the passing lanes and help defense, and generally does a good job in man-to-man, too.

Is he a bit overrated? Probably. Does he get away with fouls? Absolutely. He is still an elite defensive player? I would argue yes.

[FerryFor50]

Is he a bit overrated? Probably. Does he get away with fouls? Absolutely. He is still an elite defensive player? I would argue yes.

I'd argue he's elite *because* he is overrated and gets away with fouls. There's such a thing as too much respect. :)

[flyingdutchdevil]

I'd argue he's elite *because* he is overrated and gets away with fouls. There's such a thing as too much respect. :)

Is your dislike for Craft like the rest of the nation's dislike for Wojo? IMO, they are very similar players: poor shooters, decent distributors, physically unimpressive, insane competitors, great defenders.

I like Aaron Craft. He maximizes his talent moreso than any player in the NCAA.

I don't understand how you can dislike a player for him not getting fouls called on him. Is that the player's fault?

[FerryFor50]

Is your dislike for Craft like the rest of the nation's dislike for Wojo? IMO, they are very similar players: poor shooters, decent distributors, physically unimpressive, insane competitors, great defenders.

I like Aaron Craft. He maximizes his talent moreso than any player in the NCAA.

I don't understand how you can dislike a player for him not getting fouls called on him. Is that the player's fault?

No, my dislike for him isn't personal. It has everything to do with the media attention. It's the Tebow effect. I get sick of hearing of how great of a defender he is when my eyes see him fouling constantly.

Or the Hansbrough effect. Sure, he scored a lot... but how often did he travel or bull over his man?

[Bluedog]

Tom Izzo: "Some of our guys played like little boys." Ha! Probably a tough practice tomorrow, notwithstanding the win.

Well, that was after saying, "Some of our guys played like men." So, perhaps extra running for just some of them. ;)

[FerryFor50]

Well, that was after saying, "Some of our guys played like men." So, perhaps extra running for just some of them. ;)

Do they get a sippy cup after running?

[TexHawk]

First of all, I'm pretty sure Craft spent most of his time on Harris, not Appling. The times I saw Appling score were either in transition or against Scott. But beyond that, when you're asked to guard the other team's best offensive player as Craft often is, you're often going to get beaten. That's just the nature of the beast.

Furthermore, I'd argue that Paul (who is a big, physical, athletic SG) was probably not a good matchup for Craft. Craft's strength is his strength. Paul more than offsets that with his own physicality, and he had a substantial height and athleticism edge as well. And Burke was a lottery pick. No shame in getting beaten by Burke.

I do get that, and this is going to appear more argumentative than I mean it be: The "nature of the beast thing" worries me, because if you're an all-world defender, you SHOULD be holding those guys to below their averages. If you don't, I honestly don't know how we can measure one-on-one defensive abilities. Is it just the eye test? Craft *looks* like he's defending really hard, but since Trey Burke is just so good, he's going to get his anyway? If Michael Jordan averages 30 points a game, and over the course of many games, one defender holds him to 20, another gives up an average of 45, and another keeps him at his average of 30, how do you view those three defenders?

<soapbox>
I admit that the "Craft as an all-world defender" thing chaps me more than a lot of stories, because it's just another example of the media and fans deciding on a narrative first, then over-emphasizing the things that validate their stance, and completely ignoring everything else.

It's also maddening because ESPN and others use games like last night to write competing narratives (usually in the same article), while being completely oblivious to the fact that they are arguing both sides of the issue. For example, there is probably an article on ESPN.com this morning that talks about Appling's great game, guts, etc. In the same piece, there is probably more about Craft's great defense, willing them back, etc. You can't have both if Craft was the one who gave up all of those points to Appling**.

** You may be right about how much time Craft spent on Appling, and in reality, these arguments can get really complicated, because there is so much more to defense than just one-on-one skill. I only watched a bit of the game, just read a few message board threads, and of course, the front page of ESPN.com last night was a picture of Craft guarding Appling at the top of the key.

Another example, that hits a little close to home this week, the outright fawning over Andrew Luck's performance on Saturday night against KC, while also admonishing KC's high-school level defense. You can't have both. Either Andrew Luck was amazing while beating a good defense. Or the defense was so bad that my sister could throw for 400 yards too.
</soapbox>

[FerryFor50]

Another example, that hits a little close to home this week, the outright fawning over Andrew Luck's performance on Saturday night against KC, while also admonishing KC's high-school level defense. You can't have both. Either Andrew Luck was amazing while beating a good defense. Or the defense was so bad that my sister could throw for 400 yards too.


I'm sure those articles give no mention of all the freak injuries to VERY significant players KC had in that game. Jamaal Charles, Brandon Flowers, Justin Durant... I think that aided the Colts' comeback quite a bit.

[Reisen]

I do get that, and this is going to appear more argumentative than I mean it be: The "nature of the beast thing" worries me, because if you're an all-world defender, you SHOULD be holding those guys to below their averages. If you don't, I honestly don't know how we can measure one-on-one defensive abilities. Is it just the eye test? Craft *looks* like he's defending really hard, but since Trey Burke is just so good, he's going to get his anyway? If Michael Jordan averages 30 points a game, and over the course of many games, one defender holds him to 20, another gives up an average of 45, and another keeps him at his average of 30, how do you view those three defenders?

<soapbox>
I admit that the "Craft as an all-world defender" thing chaps me more than a lot of stories, because it's just another example of the media and fans deciding on a narrative first, then over-emphasizing the things that validate their stance, and completely ignoring everything else.

It's also maddening because ESPN and others use games like last night to write competing narratives (usually in the same article), while being completely oblivious to the fact that they are arguing both sides of the issue. For example, there is probably an article on ESPN.com this morning that talks about Appling's great game, guts, etc. In the same piece, there is probably more about Craft's great defense, willing them back, etc. You can't have both if Craft was the one who gave up all of those points to Appling**.

** You may be right about how much time Craft spent on Appling, and in reality, these arguments can get really complicated, because there is so much more to defense than just one-on-one skill. I only watched a bit of the game, just read a few message board threads, and of course, the front page of ESPN.com last night was a picture of Craft guarding Appling at the top of the key.

Another example, that hits a little close to home this week, the outright fawning over Andrew Luck's performance on Saturday night against KC, while also admonishing KC's high-school level defense. You can't have both. Either Andrew Luck was amazing while beating a good defense. Or the defense was so bad that my sister could throw for 400 yards too.
</soapbox>

QFT. I've always found the "He's always on the opposing team's best player" argument weak. Player's averages are exactly that: their average performance against a range of defenses. If you're a top defender, you better statistically hold the players you defend below their average (hopefully well below). If you're guarding a player who scores a lot of points (possibly on a lot of shots), that gives you more room to give up buckets and still hold him below what he's used to.

Granted, I fully recognize nothing is ever simple. Lots of things go into this, including how the rest of your team plays (both offense and defense), and how the rest of his team plays. Sometimes, players & teams will choose to shoot through great defense (kind of like throwing into double coverage), and sometimes it will work.

But, statistically, if you're giving up above-average points, even to great players, you're not an all-world defender.

[TexHawk]

I'm sure those articles give no mention of all the freak injuries to VERY significant players KC had in that game. Jamaal Charles, Brandon Flowers, Justin Durant... I think that aided the Colts' comeback quite a bit.

My wounds are still fresh. I'm not ready to talk about it (even though I brought it up).

[MChambers]

Count me in the crowd who think he's an amazing defender. I don't think he's a shutdown kind of guy, but he is relentless and creates a ton of turnovers. He probably gets away with more fouls than most, due to his reputation, and due to his understanding of the calls refs make, but he's awfully good. He just understands defense about as well as anyone since Mr. Battier.

And tOSU has the best defense in the country, according to Pomeroy. Take Craft out and they'd drop some, although I'm not sure how much.

[BD80]

... And tOSU has the best defense in the country, according to Pomeroy. Take Craft out and they'd drop some, although I'm not sure how much.

Well I'd imagine quite a bit, defending 5 guys with just 4 players ...

[Kfanarmy]

I watched the whole OSU-MSU game last night. You could have muted the Television and known that Craft was the most active and competitive defender on the OSU team last night. He led the charge over the last 7 minutes, scrapping to create turnovers and get his hands on every loose ball. Don't know anything about him as a person, but as a BB player, I don't see anyone out there with more heart. Just cause someone sings his praises doesn't mean we have to find fault with him or his efforts. Don't let green eyes color your opinion of the player.

[FerryFor50]

I watched the whole OSU-MSU game last night. You could have muted the Television and known that Craft was the most active and competitive defender on the OSU team last night. He led the charge over the last 7 minutes, scrapping to create turnovers and get his hands on every loose ball. Don't know anything about him as a person, but as a BB player, I don't see anyone out there with more heart. Just cause someone sings his praises doesn't mean we have to find fault with him or his efforts. Don't let green eyes color your opinion of the player.

If I had watched with the game muted, I'd have been wondering how he hadn't fouled out by the middle of the 2nd half...

Definitely has effort. Definitely is active. Definitely a pest. But fouls a lot.

[CDu]

I do get that, and this is going to appear more argumentative than I mean it be: The "nature of the beast thing" worries me, because if you're an all-world defender, you SHOULD be holding those guys to below their averages. If you don't, I honestly don't know how we can measure one-on-one defensive abilities. Is it just the eye test? Craft *looks* like he's defending really hard, but since Trey Burke is just so good, he's going to get his anyway? If Michael Jordan averages 30 points a game, and over the course of many games, one defender holds him to 20, another gives up an average of 45, and another keeps him at his average of 30, how do you view those three defenders?

And do we have the averages of all the guys that Craft has guarded? If you're going to make the "he doesn't hold a guy to his average" comment, you need to do so based on a sample size of more than 1 anecdotal performance.

Just an FYI - here are Paul's stats in the games that OSU played Illinois:
Jan 22, 2011: 3-11, 8 pts
Feb 22, 2011: 3-7, 7 pts
Jan 10, 2012: 11-15, 43 pts
Feb 21, 2012: 2-9, 9 pts
Jan 05, 2013: 6-12, 19 pts
Mar 10, 2013: 6-14, 21 pts
Average: 53.4 fg%, 17.9 ppg

And here are Burke's numbers in the games that Michigan played Illinois:
Jan 29, 2012: 5-11, 13 pts, 5 assists, 5 turnovers
Feb 18, 2012: 6-14, 17 pts, 5 assists, 3 turnovers
Mar 10, 2012: 1-11, 5 pts, 7 assists, 8 turnovers
Jan 13, 2013: 4-13, 15 pts, 4 assists, 4 turnovers
Feb 05, 2013: 6-12, 16 pts, 8 assistss, 2 turnovers
Average: 43.1 fg%, 11.2 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.4 tpg

So it seems to me that Craft did pretty well against Burke. And aside from one monster game, it's not like Paul had his way with Craft. And again, Paul is not exactly the best matchup for Craft, who gives up a few inches in height, lots of explosiveness, and doesn't have the strength advantage.

Basically, it seems like you're basing this entire argument off of one game.

[Kfanarmy]

If I had watched with the game muted, I'd have been wondering how he hadn't fouled out by the middle of the 2nd half...

Definitely has effort. Definitely is active. Definitely a pest. But fouls a lot. True Perhaps. But methinks, if you were to focus on any single player who is actually trying to defend, for a whole game, you COULD foul most of them out by the middle of the 2nd half. H

[FerryFor50]

True Perhaps. But methinks, if you were to focus on any single player who is actually trying to defend, for a whole game, you COULD foul most of them out by the middle of the 2nd half. H

Quite possible. But it's a chicken and egg argument. Those other players aren't being touted as the greatest defenders in all of college basketball.... :)

[Kfanarmy]

Quite possible. But it's a chicken and egg argument. Those other players aren't being touted as the greatest defenders in all of college basketball.... :) Of course not...because Craft is. :cool:

[Duvall]

Is your dislike for Craft like the rest of the nation's dislike for Wojo? IMO, they are very similar players: poor shooters, decent distributors, physically unimpressive, insane competitors, great defenders.

I like Aaron Craft. He maximizes his talent moreso than any player in the NCAA.

Talk like that is one of the chief reasons why people dislike Craft. There are plenty of players in the NCAA that are maximizing their talent, some moreso than Craft.

[FerryFor50]

Talk like that is one of the chief reasons why people dislike Craft. There are plenty of players in the NCAA that are maximizing their talent, some moreso than Craft.

Yeah but does he "have a good motor"? Isn't that code for "unathletic guy who really tries hard" in the NFL?

[CDu]

Talk like that is one of the chief reasons why people dislike Craft. There are plenty of players in the NCAA that are maximizing their talent, some moreso than Craft.

I don't think this statement is any more correct than the statement that nobody maximizes their talent as much as Craft. Unless you provide specific examples of getting more out of less, it's just as incorrect.

A more accurate statement might be "Craft gets as much out of his talent as anyone I can think of" or "I can't think of a player at the major college level that gets more out of less."

In any case, I do think that a LOT of the disdain for Craft is jealousy/annoyance that he gets praise. As such, folks will cling to anecdotal evidence of when he doesn't do well (see the argument that he's not an elite defender because Brandon Paul scored 43 one time).

[Duvall]

I don't think this statement is any more correct than the statement that nobody maximizes their talent as much as Craft. Unless you provide specific examples of getting more out of less, it's just as incorrect.

Well, the whole concept is meaningless, because there's no way to measure a player's raw potential since we only get to see the results of their development. So anything we say about how much a player has maximized that potential is pure guesswork.

The players that are better than Aaron Craft at basketball worked hard on their skills too.

[jv001]

I'm beginning to wish Michigan State hadn't played Ohio State last night, lol.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Talk like that is one of the chief reasons why people dislike Craft. There are plenty of players in the NCAA that are maximizing their talent, some moreso than Craft.

You're right - I did make a sweeping statement. I should have said that Craft maximizes his talent as much as the next guy. Craft isn't impressive on the offensive end. He's actually a very poor shooter. I'm sure he works on it as much as the next guy, but he's just not very good. But I can't name you one player who maximizes his talent moreso than Craft. Can you?

On D, he's found something that he can beat opponents with. Not because he has a knack for steals, but because he absolutely outworks the competition.

I see a lot of Quinn in Craft - a physically unimpressive player who is better than most of his opponents simply because he outplays them. Quinn is also trying so much harder on the defensive end and it's paying off, at least much more than in previous years. Given, Quinn is more offensively gifted, has a better shot, has more finesse, and has a little more fire under his belly. But I wouldn't be surprised if Quinn and Craft both think of themselves as underdogs who will stand up to any challenge.

[CDu]

Well, the whole concept is meaningless, because there's no way to measure a player's raw potential since we only get to see the results of their development. So anything we say about how much a player has maximized that potential is pure guesswork.

I agree - which why I suggested the other way of saying it. Regardless, seems like a silly reason to hate on Craft.


The players that are better than Aaron Craft at basketball worked hard on their skills too.

The argument isn't that those guys didn't work hard. It's that they had more to work with than Craft. For example, Jabari Parker clearly has worked very hard to become an elite offensive player. But it helps that he's blessed with 6'8" height, long arms, and tremendous leaping ability. Craft was dealt a lesser hand. He's (relatively) short, has short arms, and can't jump.

If Parker was 6'1" and couldn't jump, would he be as good a player as Craft is? I doubt it.

Now there may very well be someone who gets as much or more out of his physical tools as Craft. But I do suspect that the list is short, at least among major college basketball teams.

[subzero02]

No, my dislike for him isn't personal. It has everything to do with the media attention. It's the Tebow effect. I get sick of hearing of how great of a defender he is when my eyes see him fouling constantly.

Or the Hansbrough effect. Sure, he scored a lot... but how often did he travel or bull over his man?

I couldn't have said it better myself...

[TexHawk]

And do we have the averages of all the guys that Craft has guarded? If you're going to make the "he doesn't hold a guy to his average" comment, you need to do so based on a sample size of more than 1 anecdotal performance.
No, that would require me to do some work**. ;) I think it happens more than people note, but I won't engage in that train of thought without data. Apologies.

** Btw... If we are in the mood to throw out games, if you take out that Burke 5 point game, he averaged a little over 15 points against Ohio State, which is just one point below his career average.

Ok, I just did it again. Real apology this time.


Basically, it seems like you're basing this entire argument off of one game.

My general intent there was trying to figure out why *nobody* seems to realize these things when they happen. Aaron Craft is a good defensive player, if he had held Brandon Paul to 3 points instead of 43, ESPN would have a bronze statue of him in their lobby (if they don't already). 43 points is shocking, especially for a Big10 player (that's like 60 points in a Big12 game). And there very well may have been a reason for it (bad matchup for Craft), but it's like he is completely ignored because it doesn't fit their narrative. Craft was mentioned once in the ESPN recap (http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=320100356), and ironically it was for being called for an intentional foul. I wouldn't even mind if they made excuses for him! Paul is too athletic, too big, etc. Just don't pretend that Craft wasn't in the country at the time.

I am just asking for consistency. I wouldn't mind if ESPN ran a 30-for-30 on how Craft held Trey Burke to 5 points that one time, if they just showed a teensy bit of integrity by noting the other side when it happens too.

[jv001]

Man, it's too late to vote Craft into this years baseball Hall of Fame. GoDuke!

[Indoor66]

With all this Aaron Craft talk, who won the game between Michigan State & Ohio State? :confused: ;) :cool:

[CDu]

No, that would require me to do some work**. ;) I think it happens more than people note, but I won't engage in that train of thought without data. Apologies.

** Btw... If we are in the mood to throw out games, if you take out that Burke 5 point game, he averaged a little over 15 points against Ohio State, which is just one point below his career average.

Ok, I just did it again. Real apology this time.

Where did I suggest throwing out games? I just presented literally the entirety of Craft's matchups against those two teams. And you're suggesting that we take out the bad game? Why not just take out the 43-point game from Paul? Or the one above-average game Burke played (the 50% shooting, 16 point, 8 assist, 2 turnover game)? That seems no less unfair than cherry-picking out the worst game that Burke had.


My general intent there was trying to figure out why *nobody* seems to realize these things when they happen. Aaron Craft is a good defensive player, if he had held Brandon Paul to 3 points instead of 43, ESPN would have a bronze statue of him in their lobby (if they don't already). 43 points is shocking, especially for a Big10 player (that's like 60 points in a Big12 game). And there very well may have been a reason for it (bad matchup for Craft), but it's like he is completely ignored because it doesn't fit their narrative. Craft was mentioned once in the ESPN recap (http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=320100356), and ironically it was for being called for an intentional foul. I wouldn't even mind if they made excuses for him! Paul is too athletic, too big, etc. Just don't pretend that Craft wasn't in the country at the time.

I am just asking for consistency. I wouldn't mind if ESPN ran a 30-for-30 on how Craft held Trey Burke to 5 points that one time, if they just showed a teensy bit of integrity by noting the other side when it happens too.

I'm not sure that even the sleazy ESPN writers are in the habit of bashing a kid for a bad performance in a game recap. Conversely, they don't ever talk about a player shutting down another player in the recap, either. They'll talk about a guy having a great statistical game defensively, and they may talk about a player having an off-night, but they almost never single one guy's performance against another guy. I literally don't think I've ever seen that happen. So I'm not sure why you'd ask for it in this case.

On top of that, the person doing the writeup might not even have been aware that it was Craft guarding Paul. I certainly wouldn't have thought so until you told me that he was the one guarding Paul (I trust that your account of that is accurate; I didn't see that game). I would have expected Craft to guard the PG and not Illinois' SF. But it's quite possible that the person doing the writeup didn't watch the game all that closely (or at all), and just did the writeup based on key plays, key stats, and key quotes. So unless he was REALLY closely watching the game, he may have no idea who was guarding Paul.

But that's beside the point. I don't think I've ever seen a recap single out a college player's failures defensively. They'll praise a player's success, but not the other way around (at least not for college kids or younger). So I'm not sure why you'd expect them to go out of their way to point out that Craft got killed defensively in the game.

[cf-62]

I do get that, and this is going to appear more argumentative than I mean it be: The "nature of the beast thing" worries me, because if you're an all-world defender, you SHOULD be holding those guys to below their averages. If you don't, I honestly don't know how we can measure one-on-one defensive abilities. Is it just the eye test? Craft *looks* like he's defending really hard, but since Trey Burke is just so good, he's going to get his anyway? If Michael Jordan averages 30 points a game, and over the course of many games, one defender holds him to 20, another gives up an average of 45, and another keeps him at his average of 30, how do you view those three defenders?

<soapbox>
I admit that the "Craft as an all-world defender" thing chaps me more than a lot of stories, because it's just another example of the media and fans deciding on a narrative first, then over-emphasizing the things that validate their stance, and completely ignoring everything else.

It's also maddening because ESPN and others use games like last night to write competing narratives (usually in the same article), while being completely oblivious to the fact that they are arguing both sides of the issue. For example, there is probably an article on ESPN.com this morning that talks about Appling's great game, guts, etc. In the same piece, there is probably more about Craft's great defense, willing them back, etc. You can't have both if Craft was the one who gave up all of those points to Appling**.

** You may be right about how much time Craft spent on Appling, and in reality, these arguments can get really complicated, because there is so much more to defense than just one-on-one skill. I only watched a bit of the game, just read a few message board threads, and of course, the front page of ESPN.com last night was a picture of Craft guarding Appling at the top of the key.

Another example, that hits a little close to home this week, the outright fawning over Andrew Luck's performance on Saturday night against KC, while also admonishing KC's high-school level defense. You can't have both. Either Andrew Luck was amazing while beating a good defense. Or the defense was so bad that my sister could throw for 400 yards too.
</soapbox>

Guys, without getting into the "he fouls too much" or the "his man scores the most points" arguments, spend 5 minutes of any OSU game and watch him - only him - regardless of where the ball is. I didn't get to watch last night, but having done this in the past, I can tell you that his position OFF the ball, just being where he is, prevents scoring plays from happening -- ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!

Think of it as the guard version of the Big man hedge on the high ball screen. A decent hedge makes the other guard run out of their way and gives your team the time to scramble back. But the BEST hedging will keep the guard from even using the screen in the first place by showing so big that there's no way anything of value could come of the play.

That's where Aaron Craft adds the most value in the game. He prevents players from even attempting the play that would lead to a score. I've only seen ONE (ONE) other player play the perfect help position, no matter where the help needs to be all the time -- Shane Battier.

[Duvall]

The argument isn't that those guys didn't work hard. It's that they had more to work with than Craft. For example, Jabari Parker clearly has worked very hard to become an elite offensive player. But it helps that he's blessed with 6'8" height, long arms, and tremendous leaping ability. Craft was dealt a lesser hand. He's (relatively) short, has short arms, and can't jump.

If Parker was 6'1" and couldn't jump, would he be as good a player as Craft is? I doubt it.

I actually suspect that a 6'1" Jabari would have been a very good college basketball player, though one more in the Seth Curry mold. Of course we'll never know.


Now there may very well be someone who gets as much or more out of his physical tools as Craft. But I do suspect that the list is short, at least among major college basketball teams.

Short perhaps, but it remains frustrating to hear people suggest that Craft is maximizing his ability more than *anyone* else because of his gritty scrappiness when they couldn't possibly know. How could you tell whether Craft worked harder to develop his defensive instincts and skill than Shabazz Napier did to develop his offensive instincts and shooting skill?

[CDu]

Short perhaps, but it remains frustrating to hear people suggest that Craft is maximizing his ability more than *anyone* else because of his gritty scrappiness when they couldn't possibly know. How could you tell whether Craft worked harder to develop his defensive instincts and skill than Shabazz Napier did to develop his offensive instincts and shooting skill?

So you can probably understand why folks hated Wojo, who was not nearly as good defensively as Craft and yet got similar superlatives for his defense and grittiness/leadership.