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Here we go, let’s see how long Oden can stay on the floor.
16:30, 1st half
#1 Ohio State 6
#2 Memphis 0
Good start to the game, Oden is asserting himself early on both ends. Good to see.
9:14, 1st half
#1 Ohio State 17
#2 Memphis 15
After starting out hot and fast, Ohio State has cooled off and Memphis has worked itself back into the game.
Good to hear the Raftery is still afflicted with that verbal tic of his.
6:22, 1st half
#1 Ohio State 23
#2 Memphis 23
First let me say how happy I am that the Buckeyes haven’t had a first half let down. The three isn’t dropping for them yet (but is naturally falling left and right for Memphis) but if they stay close, they will be just fine when it finally does drop.
And remember those things that Dorsey said about Oden being overrated? I wonder if that’s what he’s thinking about while he’s on the bench.
0:39.2, 1st half
#1 Ohio State 41
#2 Memphis 35
Mike Conley Jr.’s dad might be an olympic triple-jumper, but David Lighty almost jumped out of the Alamodome.
Mike Conley will simply not be denied.
Halftime
#1 Ohio State 41
#2 Memphis 38
Maybe it’s just me, but the first half was relatively lack-luster. Maybe it was the slow start from three-land. Maybe it gets old watching Conley break down defenses and embarass defenders, but the first half didn’t feel like an Elite Eight game. Maybe it was because Ohio State looks like they actually want to play two full halves of basketball today.
18:29, 2nd half
#1 Ohio State 40
#2 Memphis 45
It’s great to see Matta bend the ref’s ears, because they are some horrible missed calls right now.
7:31, 2nd half
#1 Ohio State 66
#2 Memphis 64
Sorry for the lack of live updates, watching two kids while trying to watch the game and blog is harder than it sounds.
Memphis has really put itself in a difficult situation. With three players with four fouls each, they are really going to have to play conservatively. Hopefully OSU can finally bring the big boot down on the throat of its opponent and finish them off with authority. Oden sure is having his way inside when he doesn’t have to worry about fouls (or uncalled goal-tendings).
2:09, 2nd half
#1 Ohio State 82
#2 Memphis 72
This is the basketball team we knew was there, the super-talented Thad Five (+3). No letdown, no doubt about it.
The time has come. Zeke is over and we are ready for this game to get underway.
15:10, 1st half
#1 Ohio State 10
#5 Tennessee 14
I think everyone was hoping OSU would come out shooting better than they did against Xavier, and they are, but so is Tennessee. Sheesh, no one can miss on either end! This could be a high scoring game if everyone stays hot like this. Just work the ball into Oden more!
11:40, 1st half
#1 Ohio State 14
#5 Tennessee 20
Cook and Lighty are a little trigger happy right now, not letting the offense get set or for Oden to get position underneath. It’s great when those shots are dropping but not so much when they’re not. Of course it doesn’t help that Tennessee can’t seem to miss. They can’t keep this up
forever, right?
3:40, 1st half
#1 Ohio State 22
#5 Tennessee 39
Right now there is absolutely no fire out of any guy in a scarlet and gray uniform. No emotion. Butler is playing like he’s on the playground, no one is fighting for rebounds and with Conley missing time with foul trouble, everyone looks lost. No one wants to take over, no one wants to lead. Right now the Buckeyes are on the edge. Extremely close. I really want to see Lewis take the lead, show some senior leadership. Where’s the press after a made shot?
Halftime
#1 Ohio State 32
#5 Tennessee 49
It’s not fair to place the blame on one player, but right now all of my ire is aimed directly at Jamar Butler. His passes are lazy, his defense is non-existent, he’s handling the ball like he doesn’t care. I watched him on more than one offensive set where he planted his feet out on the left wing and stood there. He didn’t move more than one step in any direction. It’s infuriating. If the Buckeyes make any kind of run at the Vols in the second half, I really hope Butler isn’t out on the floor.
Not having Oden out there is huge. That cannot be understated. If he picks up his fourth foul in the first few minutes of the second half, it’s pretty much over. I imagine they’ll go to zone defense to protect Oden. Tennessee doesn’t have any bigs to worry about, so defensive adjustments have to be made. And we need some hands in some shooters faces.
On a side note, what is the deal with the announcer? Every once in a while, he’ll make some weird guttural shriek of mostly unintelligible sounds. It’s driving me crazy.
15:43, 2nd half
#1 Ohio State 44
#5 Tennessee 51
Okay, I’ve been talked down off the ledge. It’s been a perfect storm for the first few minutes — Tennessee has gone cold, Harris is still hitting his shots and Lewis is playing very well. I’ll even take a little bit of what I said about Butler back, he’s playing solid defense on Lofton. Zeke and I were discussing why this has been the typical performance of OSU against good opponents — they don’t turn the juice on until their backs are up against the wall. I think they lack a little bit of a killer instinct. Oden hasn’t done much offensively, but his presence has made a difference on D. Let’s go Bucks!
11:43, 2nd half
#1 Ohio State 53
#5 Tennessee 57
Keep chopping that wood, Buckeyes. CHOP THAT WOOD.
7:26, 2nd half
#1 Ohio State 68
#5 Tennessee 68
That three by Lofton was painful. If the Buckeyes keep the D going, they’re golden. Tewilliger is playing very well.
I’m convinced that commentator has some form of sports Tourette’s or something. I’m sure whatever he’s saying makes perfect sense to himself, but he’s leaving us out of the party.
Final
#1 Ohio State 85
#5 Tennessee 84
Wow. Just wow. What a finish. We were good Buckeye fans and never lost hope, but man, oh man, were there doubts. Down by 20? Are you kidding me. The Buckeyes outscored Tennesse 53-35 in the second half. We just witnessed something great here tonight. And it was teamwork that got it done. No matter how cliche that sounds, it’s true. They clamped down on defense, weathered some runs by Tennessee and simply fought back time and again.
Was there any doubt that “THE GREAT NEGATOR” was going to be a part of the last defensive stand? No doubt about it.
I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a Volunteer fan right now. I imagine it’s a mix between seething rage and complete and utter stupor. That’s got to hurt.
The Buckeyes cannot let this happen against Memphis. Watching the Memphis/A&M game, I think Memphis is very beatable. There simply cannot be a ten or fifteen minute mental breakdown and allow Memphis to build up any kind of lead or momentum. The Buckeyes have to go for the throat.
With so much focus on the football Buckeyes year round, it’s weird to have a real contender for a basketball team as well. It makes you wonder if there’s room in Columbus for two elite teams (there is). It also makes you wonder what you’d sacrifice for one program to succeed over another. Here are a couple things I thought would be tough choices to make:
Would you give up Ron Lewis’ 3-pointer over Xavier for a victory over Florida in the BCS Championship Game?
Would you give up a 12-0 season for a Final Four spot?
Would you give up a Michigan victory (football) for a basketball National Championship?
Would you give up a chance at a BCS bowl for Oden and Conley to stick around?
(My answers? No, No, Yes, Abso-fricken-lutely)
Here’s the semi-live blog of Ohio State vs. Xavier.
15:51, 1st half
#1 OSU: 7
#9 Xavier: 4
It must be frustrating for Oden to be constantly getting hammered under the basketball. The guy can’t move without getting four hands slapping him. It must also get old. Watch for some serious dunks.
11:56, 1st half
#1 OSU: 9
#9 Xavier: 8
No one wants to make a shot and the refs seemed to have swallowed their whistles. Oden looks cold and the offense looks out of sync. Ron Lewis has been the lone bright spot thus far.
7:29, 1st half
#1 OSU: 16
#9 Xavier: 13
I’m always impressed how well Oden handles the calls against him. He hardly ever gets flustered. He’s starting to find some range and the ball is moving well for the Buckeyes. Someone other than Butler needs to make some shots outside the arc. Butler’s shot looked nice.
Halftime
#1 OSU: 29
#9 Xavier: 25
If Duncan keeps hitting those threes, it’s going to be a problem, otherwise no one else for Xavier is really doing anything to hurt the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are just getting unlucky bounces and the short end of the referee’s whistle. Matta will whip the boys into shape for the second half.
1:45, OT
#1 OSU: 72
#9 Xavier: 65
The 2nd half live-blogging was interrupted by my son’s birthday party, but right now I would kiss Ron Lewis on the mouth.
Final, OT
#1 OSU: 78
#9 Xavier: 71
Wow, what a game. Freshman Mike Conley, Jr. (did ya know? His dad was an olympic gold medalist) took Xavier’s back court to school and rolled off what, ten straight points? Whatever it was, he couldn’t be stopped. His steal with lss than a minute left was MONUMENTAL.
After stepping back to look at the big picture, I still think Ohio State is still in a good place. They didn’t shoot the ball exceptionally well, had no calls go their way, lost Oden to fouls and still came back from being 11 down. They need to work the ball through Oden more. Even if he isn’t looking to score every time down, he needs to touch the ball. Defense still gets lax at times, too. The competition only gets stiffer from here on out, so they need to bring their A game.
We’ll be doing a semi-live blog of OSU’s games in the NCAA Tournament, starting with today’s game against Central Connecticut. I’m already worried this could get ugly.
15:15, 1st half
#1 OSU: 14
#16 CConn: 3
Whoa, Buckeyes start out fast. Lewis and Butler hitting threes and Oden having his way on the boards. A good way to start things off.
11:06, 1st half
#1 OSU: 19
#16 CConn: 9
The three ball is keeping CConn close, but OSU’s defense is keeping everything else out of the interior. Butler looks extremely confident right now. Oden hasn’t asserted himself much yet, but really hasn’t needed to.
3:29, 1st half
#1 OSU: 29
#16 CConn: 17
Things look to be going as expected. Oden is cleaning the boards with elan, the guard play has been great and defense is playing well. In a word (or two): In control.
Halftime
#1 OSU: 38
#16 CConn: 17
No points for Connecticut in the last few minutes of the first half, as OSU continued to hit its shots. I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that OSU is playing the best basketball in the country, right now. I’m especially pleased with the play of Ron Lewis. He’s going through a resurgence and playing extremely well on both ends of the ball. This makes me happy, as I’m a big fan of Lewis. Rumble, big man.
I’m trying to find a flaw from the first half, I just haven’t found it. The only thing I’m worried about was Daequan Cook limping around there at the end of the half. He was clearly favoring his left leg. They can’t let that get worse.
15:47, 2nd half
#1 OSU: 49
#16 CConn: 24
You can’t stop Oden. You can’t even hope to contain him. He is a force of nature, an act of God. (Butler can shoot the pretty well, too)
7:41, 2nd half
#1 OSU: 63
#16 CConn: 46
What more can be said? OSU is simply the better team.
3:09, 2nd half
#1 OSU: 71
#16 CConn: 51
Now let’s just get out of the game healthy.
Final
#1 OSU: 78
#16 CConn: 57
Bring on Xavier/BYU. Who would you rather see? I don’t think it matters.
Just a couple more hours to sign up for the MotSaG Tournament Pick’em Contest. We’ll be closing the registration at 10PM (EST) tonight.
You can read all the details here.
Has anyone seen the Sports Nation poll on the ESPN.com front page? At the behest of Cold Pizza, Sports Nation wants to know who you think will be the first #1 seed to lose. Check out who they’ve got:
Wonderful, right? The irony of it all? UCLA is in the lead with 38%. I don’t know what makes me sadder.
(big H/T to fellow MotSaG’er Sylvester-Yon Rambo for catching this one)
Just a quick update to remind everyone that there’s still time to join MotSaG’s first-ever contest, the Tournament Pick’em Shindig. We’ve already received a handful of requests, but are hoping for more!
If you previously submitted a request via the Contact form, please send it in again, as there was a problem with the email address the contact form was using. It’s all been fixed now, though, so if you’re interested in participating in the contest, send us an email at motsag-at-gmail-dot-com or contact us with our handy-dandy contact form.
We hope to see you there!
