First is the Inquirer's Mike Jensen, who said Ohio State would win. Second is Caulton Tudor of the Raleigh News and Observer, who on his podcast said that one team would come out with "stage fright." The veteran ACC columnist was right, though he was wrong to predict that team would be Ohio State.
The team was Georgetown. The Hoyas committed nine first-half turnovers, and recorded only five assists on 9-of-20 shooting in the first 20 minutes on the way to a 67-60 defeat.
Ohio State recorded four assists and four turnovers in the first half, and ended the game with 13 assists and eight turnovers. Georgetown finished with 17 and 14. Green and DaJuan Summers had three each, while Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace and Patrick Ewing, Jr., had two each. That's twelve turnovers from the Hoyas' starting five and sixth man.
It sure was huge that the Buckeyes were able to keep Jeff Green in check. Not so much the nine points as the five field goal attempts. Here's Green's final line:
Name |
Min |
FG |
3pt |
FT |
OR |
TR |
A |
TO |
S |
Blk |
PF |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
J.Green |
40 |
4-5 |
0-0 |
1-2 |
3 |
12 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
9 |
And once again, the old Lawrence North High School teammates came up big for the Scarlet and Gray:
Name |
Min |
FG |
3pt |
FT |
OR |
TR |
A |
TO |
S |
Blk |
PF |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M. Conley, Jr. |
39 |
7-12 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
15 |
Name |
Min |
FG |
3pt |
FT |
OR |
TR |
A |
TO |
S |
Blk |
PF |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G. Oden |
20 |
6-11 |
0-0 |
1-4 |
3 |
9 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
13 |
Considering how much of the first half Oden spent on the bench, that's really impressive. And it's just as important to note that the block came with 47 seconds left in the game and Georgetown desperate to cut into Ohio State's nine-point lead.
So Ohio State has definitely proven that it belongs in the national championship game, and as I write Florida is in the process of doing so as well. It'll be a rematch of the national championship football game in the building where the Gators won the SEC championships in football and men's basketball.
The college sports universe has pretty well resolved itself down to two programs. Make of that what you will. I don't like it, but then again I don't have anywhere near the money needed to do anything about it... and really, do any of us?
Having said that, a note to any readers out there who are Kentucky fans: Of those two programs I mentioned above, your basketball team isn't one of them.
