Ohio State 75, Florida 84 (final - NC Game)

[Steve19]

Well, that's it. The great sports genius and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gregg (I'm such a genius I get an extra g) Doyel has pronounced that we have lost the NC game already. Of course, you may remember that he's had us losing every other big game down the stretch as well. So, this should be a real confidence builder.

Somebody put this article up in the locker room (link). The guys need a laugh to break all the tension...

Ohio State couldn't beat Florida in December, and Ohio State can't beat Florida in April.

Too bad these teams didn't play in February. The Buckeyes might have won a game then. Or at least made it interesting.

Monday night? In the national championship game? Won't be interesting at all. Won't be interesting until Florida coach Billy Donovan is wearing a net around his neck and asked if he gives a s--- about the Kentucky job.

Oh, and by the way Greg (where's my extra g, Mommy?), you're a doos. It's an Afrikaans word Greg, but then being all-knowing, you knew that. And you wouldn't need a translation to know what you are.

[Best Buckeye]

Originally Posted by Steve19

Well, that's it. The great sports genius and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gregg (I'm such a genius I get an extra g) Doyel has pronounced that we have lost the NC game already. .

That makes it unanimous among all the experts or should. Not 1 in the last 5 hours I have been watching on ESPN has picked the Buckeyes. We might as well not show up.

[Steve19]

After we dusted them during the year in football, that's what they told UCLA before the Rose Bowl when they beat us. I have this funny feeling that we might just win this one the same way.

One thing is for sure. These Buckeyes will show up and they will not give up.

[BB73]

I agree that when the Buckeyes are in man, Oden should spend most of his time on Horford. Horford is stronger than Noah and has a better post-up game. If Oden can stay out of foul trouble, he can limit Horford's points without getting help.

I also see Hunter guarding Noah. He won't shoot from beyond 15 feet, but he's very effective rolling off high screens. Defending that high screen will be very key, since the guy guarding Noah has to 'show' in order to prevent a three (off the dribble, this will be mostly by Green, and less often Brewer). But switching will put a guard on Noah as he comes down the lane to crash the boards. The Buckeyes can't leave Humphrey alone, since he's deadly, but when Noah puts the ball on the floor, it's time to reach down for steals because of his high dribble.

If Harris and Lighty are able to keep Noah off the boards when they're guarding him, like they limited Jeff Green on Saturday, that would be huge.

Noah frequently moves when he sets screens, although I didn't see him doing it on Saturday. If he does, I'd like to see him get called on that, like they nailed Oden at the start of the G'Town game. It's subtle, but it gives Florida an advantage. If I'm Matta, I'm in the refs ears about that even before the game starts.

[sandgk]

Lest we forget (or Sporstline yank Doyel's original predictive on the Georgetown game).

Ohio State also has a big edge on the wing, with Ron Lewis a better player than Jessie Sapp. Throw in the Buckeyes' superior depth, and this game is a no-brainer for the Buckeyes, right? Almost.
For Ohio State, there's the Jeff Green conundrum.
The Buckeyes have nobody who can defend Green. Nobody who can come remotely close. Green is the Hoyas' 6-9 combo-forward who scores from the perimeter and on the post and everywhere in between. His season scoring average is modest at 14.4 points per game, but he's capable of putting up big numbers -- he had 22 in the Elite Eight against North Carolina, and Big East coaches voted him the Player of the Year -- and Georgetown will need him to do just that against Ohio State.
And Ohio State won't be able to stop him.
Ohio State's starting power forward, Ivan Harris, is a scorer, not a defender. Green will throttle him all over the floor, which means the Buckeyes will have to put a smaller defender on Green -- say, the 6-4 Lewis -- and hope Oden can help when Green takes Lewis close to the basket and posts him up.
Or the Buckeyes might have to tinker with their entire lineup and play with a second big man, 6-9 Othello Hunter, alongside Oden. Hunter has the size and bounce to defend in the post, but Green is a 38 percent shooter from 3-point range, an area Hunter won't be comfortable trying to defend. And what kind of havoc would Hunter's presence have on Ohio State's offense, which typically has four perimeter players orbiting around Oden?

Brilliant!!