Few of the 13,276 folks in historic St. John Arena recall the
1960 National Championship game, but it didn’t take away from the nostalgic
feel Monday night.
The sellout crowd, there to witness a rematch of the first
meeting 48 years between California and Ohio State, cranked up the electricity
and watched the Buckeyes cruise to a 73-56 second round victory in the Master Card N.I.T.
“I think it could only be described as electric,” said Ohio
State head coach Thad Matta in his postgame press
conference. “When the Schott is rocking, it’s one of the loudest arenas in the country,
but it’s always unique when you play in a place with this much history.”
The Golden Bears, not to be confused with legendary OSU golf
alum Jack Nicklaus, looked like they were distracted more by the Bruce
Springsteen concert occupying the Schottenstein
Center just across the Olentangy River. Accordingly,
Ohio State (21-13) played arguably its most complete game since November,
ironically enough against Syracuse in the Preseason N.I.T. at Madison Square
Garden.
And now, Ohio State is one game away from returning to the
Garden.
Before the Buckeyes can look ahead to the Big Apple, they
have to look down I-70. Ohio State’s next opponent, Dayton, beat Illinois State
Monday 55-48 setting up an Ohio quarterfinal showdown Wednesday night.
The Flyers, like Ohio State, boast a sensational senior
guard. Brian Roberts, 6-1 of perennial Northwest-Ohio powerhouse Toledo St.
John’s, led Dayton in points (18.5) and assists (3.6) per game this season. He’s
a 45-percent shooter from long-range.
But making UD even more dangerous is the return of freshman
forward Chris Wright, back from knee surgery after missing 18 games. Dayton
began the season 14-1 with him in the lineup, including wins against NCAA Tournament
qualifiers Coppin State, American, Pittsburgh and at
Louisville.
Ohio State had a bigger challenge on their hands Monday,
both literally and figuratively. The Buckeyes passed with flying colors.
Honorable mention All-American, 6-10 California sophomore Ryan Anderson, was touted as one of the toughest
frontcourt foes faced all season for Ohio State. However, Ohio State limited
Anderson to 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
“It was an off-night for me. I can’t say it was all me,”
Anderson commented afterword. “(Ohio State) played great defense the entire
game.”
Bigger than Ohio State’s defense, holding California to 40
percent from the floor and 6-of-20 from 3-point range was the rebounding. The
Buckeyes, who have been sluggish on the glass all season, out-rebounded the
bigger, more athletic Golden Bear frontline 38-31, including 14 offensive
rebounds.
Senior forward Othello Hunter recorded a double-double with
11 points and 16 rebounds. Jamar Butler, who will be
tasked with the showdown against Roberts Wednesday, continued his recent surge
trying to leave Ohio State in style – 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and a trio
of assists.
“Jamar knocked down a couple of
threes late in the (first) half which is a big reason we won tonight,” Matta added.
Ohio State faces Dayton for the first time since December
17, 1988 –a game won 104-76 by the Buckeyes behind 24 points by Jay Burson. The all-time series is led 3-2 by Ohio State, with
Dayton’s victories coming in (former OSU head coach) Gary Williams’ first two
seasons as coach.
Postgame Analysis
When California Had
the Ball
*The Bears never really adjusted to the Ohio State zone
until the Buckeyes unloaded the bench in the closing moments. California had
just 10 assists on 23-made field goals, a number indicative of stagnant
ball-movement. The Buckeyes were soft on the perimeter early on, giving
California several open looks, but the Bears never fully cashed-in on the
opportunities.
*Ohio State’s attention to big men Anderson, Eric Viemeisel and DeVon Hardin was
pronounced. The trio combined on just 17 points and 17 rebounds on 7-of-22
shooting. Though Ohio State blocked just three shots, the Buckeyes altered
several more and contested nearly every baseline entry pass.
*Perhaps the biggest mistake by California was never getting
Jerome Randle uncorked. Against the extended pressure defense, Randle’s
quickness and explosion off the dribble could have caused Ohio State many
problems. However, his 18 points came mostly in garbage time, and he failed to
exploit the wide-open middle of the floor on the offensive end.
*Further complicating issues for Cal was when the big men
finally touched the ball inside, they often passed up wide-open kick-out
opportunities to guards on the perimeter. The Bears’ inside-outside game was
the only hope of resurrecting a 35-23 halftime deficit – which quickly climbed
to 41-23 after a 6-0 Buckeye run to begin the second half.
*Turnovers, which have been problematic for California all
season, were again an issue against Ohio State’s full-court pressure. During
the 17-4 Ohio State run to close out the first half especially, California had
several mistakes igniting the partisan OSU crowd. For the game, California
committed 16 turnovers.
When Ohio State Had
the Ball
*For 14 minutes, the Buckeyes had shot relatively poor and
trailed 19-18 accordingly. However, the turning point may have been a crucial
offensive rebound and monster one-handed dunk by Kosta
Koufos with 6:20 remaining in the first half,
starting the Buckeyes on the 17-4 run. From that moment on, Ohio State finished
the half 7-of-11 from the field, including the two daggers from Butler Matta mentioned.
*Koufos was the unsung hero
Monday. The 7-1 freshman, who’s quietly gained confidence as well as a smile on
the court, finished with 17 points and six rebounds in a very efficient 31
minutes on the floor. Koufos made a few terrific
fade-away jumpers, went 1-of-2 from 3-point range and contributed with a pair
of assists against zero turnovers.
*It was the thought that counts: Jon Diebler
had the right idea, but maybe next year. Sensing the Bears’ man-to-man defense
was softer than Charmin, it was actually the 6-5 freshman
sharpshooter-in-waiting that put the ball on the deck and tried to penetrate
his way out of missed shots. The result, however, was a turnover and several
more errant passes that nearly caused loss in possessions. His 0-of-5 from the
field was even more disheartening considering he had several open looks. Evan Turner and David Lighty both attempted to drive quite
often, though they combined on eight additional turnovers. Nonetheless, Ohio
State had a good balance of timely shooting, dribble penetration and clutch
second-chance opportunities to pull-away.
*Speaking of Lighty, his late
resurgence continued Monday, scoring 8 points, grabbing four rebounds, dishing
out four assists and picking four steals. You might say it was fours wild for Lighty.
*Perhaps the biggest benefit of all to Ohio State was
keeping Butler fresh for the short turn-around. Playing just 48 hours from the
end of the game, the Buckeyes played Butler just 28 minutes – his second fewest
minutes played in a game all season. Instead of what was perceived to be
late-season wobbly legs, Butler has actually gotten stronger over the past five
games.