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College Basketball: What if the One-and-Done Rule was the Four-and-Done Rule?

By Matt Ostrowski

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2. 2009-2010 Ohio State Buckeyes

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

PG – Mike Conley Jr. /William Buford
SG – Daequan Cook/Jon Diebler
SF – Evan Turner/David Lighty
PF – Kosta Koufos/B.J. Mullens
C – Greg Oden/Dallas Lauderdale

11th man: Mark Titus

This team is eerily similar to the 2008-2009 Kansas team that almost made the honorable mentions, but didn’t because they lacked a star. This team has two would-be stars in Conley and Oden. Conley averaged 12 points and 5 assists for the Grizz that year on an efficient 45/39/81. Oden averaged 11 points, 8 rebounds, and over 2 blocks a game for Portland that season, in his last somewhat-healthy NBA season (sad face).

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    • Now let’s pair Oden’s shot blocking ability and height with another 7-footer in Kosta Koufos. Koufos had yet to cement his NBA status in 2009-10, but averaged 14 points, 6 rebounds, and almost 2 blocks a game for the Buckeyes just two years earlier. Would anyone score over those two inside?

    Now let’s throw Evan Turner into the mix, who was the national player of the year 09-10, averaging 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists per game for the Buckeyes.

    Last to the starting lineup is Daequan Cook, who fills the exact role that the starting lineup needs: an outside shooter. Cook was coming off of an 08-09 season in which he averaged 9 points per game and shot almost 40% from the three-point line in the NBA. And even if he’s struggling, they have Jon Diebler, David Lighty, and William Buford off the bench, who were three of the best shooters in the Big 10 back in their time.

    So what’s this team missing? They have two-way guards that can penetrate and pass (Conley, Turner), extremely dominant big men on both sides of the floor (Oden, Koufos), and knockdown three-point shooters (Cook, Diebler, Lighty, Buford).

    The answer to that question is… not much. If it wasn’t for a once in a lifetime coach that was so dominant with recruiting NBA players (hint: number one is a John Calipari Kentucky team), they would have been number one.

    Oh, and they also have Mark Titus, the world’s greatest walk-on, and just an entertaining guy, as their 11th man. If that doesn’t put them over the top, I don’t know what does.

    Next: 1. 2012-2013 Kentucky Wildcats

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