Batman and Robin have been a staple of American entertainment for half a century. Everyone knows Batman is the boss and is always in control. No one would ever mistake the “Boy Wonder” for the “Caped Crusader.”
Applied to the Ohio State men’s basketball team, Evan Turner would be Batman and William Buford would be Robin.
But in order for the Buckeyes to make a deep NCAA Tournament run, something they are very capable of, Robin is going to have to play a more prominent role in OSU’s offense.
Buford’s statistics are actually a bit puzzling. When Turner’s been in the lineup, Buford has put up 14 points a game. In Turner’s absence, Buford was good for 15 points a game — obviously not a big difference, but in order to understand Buford’s significance to the offense, one must dig deeper.
The great thing about Buford is that he’s shown the potential to be a very dynamic offensive player. When his shot wasn’t falling against Wisconsin last month, Buford hit the glass and grabbed 12 rebounds. He had 10 assists in a win over Eastern Michigan earlier this season. On Jan. 31 versus Minnesota, Boy Wonder had his shot going. His form isn’t what you would call textbook, but when his high-arching jumpers are falling, it’s a thing of beauty. Buford finished with a career-high 26 points.
College basketball isn’t the NBA. Teams can’t just ride a superstar player who can go one-on-five — a la LeBron James or Dwayne Wade — to the title. I’d argue the last team to win the national championship that truly rode the coattails of one player to the title would be the 1988 Kansas Jayhawks.
Kansas lost 11 times that year, the most ever of any team to win the title. Entering the tournament, the Jayhawks were a No. 6 seed. But National Player of the Year Danny Manning and the “Miracles” would not be denied. In Kansas’ 83-79 victory over Oklahoma in the National Championship Game, Manning had 31 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocked shots.
That was nearly 22 years ago and college basketball has evolved since then.
The further Ohio State advances in the tournament, the more defenses will attempt to take Turner out of the game. Opposing coaches will attempt to conjure up some of the most preposterous game plans in an attempt to neutralize “The Villain.”
OSU could see something similar to the triangle and two defense Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos used to hold former Davidson star Stephen Curry scoreless last season. Patsos knew his team couldn’t stop Curry, so he double-teamed Davidson’s sweet-shooting guard the entire game. Curry only got up three shots and didn’t score, but Davidson still won by 30.
Obviously, it’s preposterous to think any coach would become that desperate in an NCAA Tournament game. However, a junk defense such as a box-and-one is not out of the question. That brings me back to Buford.
He’s the only other player on Ohio State’s roster besides Turner who is a complete offensive player. Buford is capable of getting his own shot and finishing at the rim, at the foul line or beyond the arc. As sports clichés go, Buford is OSU’s “X-factor.”
The key for Boy Wonder is to be an efficient scorer. Ohio State is only 7-6 when he has 12 or more field goal attempts. Forced shots and quick shots usually result in fast break points for the other team.
If Buford can be a solid but not necessarily spectacular Robin, OSU fans may find the Bat Signal in the skies over Indianapolis, the site of this season’s Final Four.
