No. 1 Buckeyes on prize: Hoops, not hype
NEWARK -- Talk all you want about Ohio State being the favorite to win it all. Talk about how its veteran leadership gives them the edge against a young Kentucky team in Friday night's Sweet 16 round.
Talk all you want but coach Thad Matta and his players aren't listening to any of it.
"I think that these guys have done a much better job of not buying into all the hype that goes along with this," said Matta, whose top-seeded Buckeyes face No. 4 Kentucky at 9:45 p.m. in an East Regional semifinal. "I think they have a better understanding of, you know, regardless what happens in tonight's game or the first game tomorrow night, if we don't come to play well it's all irrelevant."
Seedings mean nothing -- especially now. Ohio State (34-2) learned that lesson the hard way last season when, as a No. 2 seed, they lost to No. 6 Tennessee in the Sweet 16. But after beating the University of Texas-San Antonio and George Mason by a combined 61 points in their first two games last weekend, the Buckeyes are two wins away from their first Final Four since 1998-99.
Standing in their way is Kentucky, a freshmen-laden team with loads of talent. The Wildcats (27-8) will pose the first real threat for the Buckeyes.
In many ways, Kentucky resembles Tennessee from last year. Kentucky is athletic and long, and has perimeter players who can finish at the basket. Freshman point guard Brandon Knight has matured into a skilled floor general, one who brings speed and versatility. Ohio State's David Lighty said Knight "plays under control."
"He's got the ability to not only score, but he makes players better around him," Matta said of the 6-3 Knight, who scored a career-high 30 points in last week's win over West Virginia. "With as young as they are, I think he has done a tremendous job of coming in and learning the system that they are trying to play. He is a heck of a player. He is a challenge to guard."
Ohio State has to stop the speedy Wildcats in transition. Darius Miller shoots 48.6 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from three-point range, while freshman guard Doron Lamb, a Queens native, shoots 49.7 percent, 46.9 on threes.
Ohio State counters with one of the best big men in the game, Jared Sullinger. The 6-9 freshman, who leads the team with 17.1 points and 10 rebounds a game, is adept at finding the open shooters -- like Lighty, Jon Diebler and William Buford -- when the double- and triple-teams come his way. And that makes him all the more dangerous.
"He has a lot of skills," said Kentucky's 6-10 Josh Harrellson. "He can do a lot of things to beat you. So it will be a tough matchup for me. Hopefully we contain him as a team."
And, of course, the Buckeyes have the experience. But Kentucky coach John Calipari isn't deterred by his team's lack of tournament experience. He has yet to show them any tape on Ohio State -- and doesn't plan on giving his players the scouting report on the Buckeyes. He wants his players to focus solely on what they have to do to win. And nothing more.
"Obviously they've had a wonderful year and they are the No. 1 team in the country. But we're a Top 10 team, also," Calipari said. "I am not worried about who is favored, who is not favored, who is the underdog or who is the favorite. None of that matters in this stuff."
