Tonight Ohio State plays Kansas in one of the Final Four national semifinal games. The winner gets to move on to the national championship game; the loser will celebrate a great season but also wonder about what might have been.
A lot has been written about the match-ups in the game. How will Jared Sullinger, who missed the first game between the Buckeyes and Jayhawks in December, fare against shot-blocking center Jeff Withey? Will cat-quick Jayhawk Tyshawn Taylor be able to play his game notwithstanding the suffocating defensive efforts of Aaron Craft? Who will guard the Buckeyes’ versatile Deshaun Thomas, and who will try to stop Jayhawk Elijah Johnson?
One match-up that hasn’t been talked about much is the match-up of coaches. Kansas is led by Bill Self, one of the best coaches in the game. He has won a national championship at Kansas and has done a great job of getting this team — generally viewed as having less pure talent than prior Jayhawk juggernauts — into the Final Four. I thought Self outmaneuvered North Carolina’s Roy Williams last weekend as both coaches dealt with the loss of UNC’s point guard. In the second half Kansas went to a triangle-and-two defense that seemed to knock the Tar Heels off kilter and left them flummoxed for the rest of the game.
Ohio State’s Thad Matta, on the other hand, seems to be under-appreciated by many people. They acknowledge that he is a great recruiter, and they applaud his courageous way of dealing with the challenges posed by his physical condition, but they downplay his “Xs and Os” skills, criticize him for not using his bench, and say he doesn’t use his timeouts effectively.
I don’t get this criticism, and think this year’s NCAA Tournament demonstrates that Coach Matta can match up with anybody. He has this year’s team motivated and ready to perform, also also has shown a lot of flexibility in how Ohio State has played its opponents. Against Gonzaga, which had a strong 7-footer in the middle, he moved Sullinger around and away from the basket for some uncontested jumpers. Against the fabled Syracuse zone, he changed the positions of Thomas and Sullinger and Ohio State made interior passes that led to some easy baskets; he also recognized that Lenzelle Smith, Jr. was not the focus of Syracuse defensive plans, and in the second half Smith helped to lead the Buckeyes to victory. In every game, Coach Matta and his staff have put the Buckeyes in the position to win — and that is what you want from a coach.
When the ball tips tonight, we’ll see how Coach Matta has decided to deal with the match-up issues posed by the fine Jayhawk squad. Before the game begins, however, Ohio State fans should take a moment to thank Coach Matta and his assistants for a job well done — and then hope that they have done a similarly good job in preparing for tonight’s tilt with the Jayhawks.
This was a very good win against a very good team. The Buckeyes were out of sorts early and were getting killed on the boards. Shouted epithets rang through Webner House as the Bulldogs got put-backs and second-chance points after grabbing offensive rebounds. But with Jared Sullinger on the bench with two fouls, the Buckeyes clawed their way back. Amir Williams gave Ohio State a presence in the middle, and Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas brought the Buckeyes back to lead at the half. In the second half, the terrific Craft led the way and the Buckeyes built up a 10-point lead. Then, Gonzaga wisely went to a zone, the Buckeyes were thrown off stride, and their lead ultimately dwindled to nothing. But Ohio State stuck at it, made their free throws, and finally got the crucial rebounds. The final score was 73-66, but the game was a lot closer than that.
This may have been the gutsiest effort by Ohio State this year. They played, and beat, an experienced team that is a perennial NCAA Tournament contender. Equally important, it was a true team effort — perhaps the most total team effort of the season. Four players scored in double figures and the Buckeyes got quality contributions off the bench from Amir Williams and Shannon Scott. It was good to see William Buford on the line at the end, knocking down free throws to ice the game. Buford deserves some love and respect from Buckeyes fans for coming back for his senior year when he easily could have gone pro and providing the team’s most dependable outside shooting.
The score isn’t important, and the fact that Thomas led the way isn’t really important, either. What’s important is that the Buckeyes survive and move on — and that is what the NCAA Tournament is all about. That is what last year’s Big Dance confirmed. You don’t have to be the best team, you just have to survive by hook or crook in the game at hand and move forward.
Webner House 