Victor Oladipo is the nominee for this week’s human highlight reel. Everyone knew from day one when this guy stepped on the floor for Hoosier Hysteria last season that he was going to provide many posters for Hoosier faithful to hang on their walls. He hasn’t disappointed. Vic Oladipo is indeed a human highlight reel. But his contributions have been more than just highlights for the Hoosiers this season. Sure he can sing and dance and dunk, but his game has gone far beyond that during the 2011-2012 campaign.
Victor Oladipo at Hoosier Hysteria (via IUAthletics)
Offensively he has been fantastic for the Hoosiers. He gets to the line at a decent pace (4 a game) and converts well when he does step up to the free throw line. He’s shooting 52% from the field on the year and averaging nearly 9 shots a game. Couple that together with an average of 5.3 rebounds and he’s someone that other teams have to focus on if they are going to shut down the very well balanced Hoosiers offense. 12.5 points a game is 6-7 more points than I originally expected out of him and he is the main reason that the Hoosiers offense is so incredibly potent. Of course everyone loves scoring numbers but even better than his scoring is how he gets those points.
Victor Oladipo Dunk Vs. Kentucky (via STARMAZDA22)
Cody Zeller Dunk & Victor Oladipo Dunk (via TheTWHIT3)
Oladipo’s off the ball movement is second to none on the team and likely some of the best in the nation. The guy has great instincts and is fantastic at knowing when to slip to the basket. His offensive awareness of what his defensive mark is paying attention to is the biggest contributor to why he gets so many highlight reel dunks. Add in his improved handles and he can drive to the basket with an explosiveness that not many defenses can handle. I have to admit that it is really something that I can be so hyperbolic with describing Oladipo’s game. I thought he would make a big jump from last year to this, but he’s gone higher than I ever imagined he would. According to Coach Tom Crean, Oladipo and Sheehey both wore out their swipe cards to get into Cook Hall they were in the gym so much. It shows.
Vic’s defense has been great as well. He only averages about 1.5 steals a game but the ever emphasized deflections stat has him neck and neck with Cody Zeller for the lead. The best way to describe Oladipo so far this season is disruptive. He may not come up with the steals but his deflections are the reason that they’re happening. If he can keep this play up through the whole season and everyone else can stay healthy it is likely that Oladipo will be making some highlight reels on the second weekend on the NCAA tournament in March.
To see the rest of the Buick Human Highlight Reel, and even share a story of your own, go to ncaa.com/buick. This post is sponsored by Buick.