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#2 Ohio State 70, #15 Davidson 62 - NCAA Tournament (Final)

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From CBSSportsline:

Wildcats report: Strategy and personnel
March 13, 2006
The Sports Xchange
Strategy and personnel · Notes, quotes · Getting inside
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]PLAYER ROTATION
Usual Starters -- G Brendan Winters, G Kenny Grant, G Matt McKillop, F Ian Johnson, F Boris Meno. Key Subs -- G Jason Morton, G Jason Richards, F Thomas Sander
GAME REVIEW

Did not play last week
GAME PREVIEW
vs. Ohio State, NCAA Tournament first round, Dayton, Ohio, Friday, March 17.
KEYS
The key for Davidson will be getting at least one, if not the trio of Brendan Winters, Matt McKillop and Ian Johnson, hot from the perimeter in the early goings. The first 10 minutes of this contest will be crucial, as the Wildcats have to deal swiftly with any pre-game nerves and not allow what is likely to be a large Ohio State crowd become a factor. Davidson also wants to keep this a low-scoring affair. It's unlikely that the Wildcats could come back from a double-digit or more halftime deficit again, so staying close early is the key here.
ROSTER REPORT

--G Brendan Winters, a senior, is the team's leading-scorer at 17.1 points per game. He's also averaging 4.7 rebounds and is second on the squad with 57 three-pointers.
--F Ian Johnson, a senior, is Davidson's second-leading scorer at 15.7 points per contest, but like Winters, Johnson has been inconsistent this season. He's grabbing 6.2 boards per game and has drained 31 long-range buckets.
Copyright (C) 2006 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
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their method on offense seems to be "Let's chuck another three" There is barely any penetration and Dials is used haphazardly on offense, instead of being the focus. They'll use him for awhile, and then forget about him for several possessions on end.
There is a serious problem with living by the 3 and dying by it. The problem is that over a 6 game tournament, you will die by it at least once. Guarenteed.
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Surprised so many folks bought into this. Offense is largely about exploiting what the defense gives you. OSU doesn't 'forget' about Dials, other teams make adjustments that close the middle which in turn opens up the outside. The more effective you are with any particular method of attack the more likely the opposing coach will make such adjustments.

Offense is also about exploiting your own strengths. This is a good shooting team. Personally I think we are at our worst when we are forcing the ball inside or forcing penetration.

I find it ironic that many folks project abilities onto this team based on their success when those abilities aren't necessarily there. They went from a middle of the pack projection to Big Ten champs based on the type of Offense they run. But now that they are Big Ten champs we act like we have these extraordinary athletes who can aproach the game however they choose and still find success.

This is one of the my favorite all time teams at OSU. But Syl is not a great athlete - sometimes he can hardly walk. JJ runs hot and cold. Foster is a pure shooter. Lewis is good at taking the ball inside, but costs you dearly on D. Butler can do what he pleases, but that is just starting to happen.

This team may die by the three (and using Dials as much as they can), but they will die doing what they do best.
 
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espn.com

3/16/06

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Ohio State
Best case: The 3s fall for three wonderful weeks and the Buckeyes win the national title a year ahead of schedule. When Greg Oden shows up next fall, they're playing for a shocking repeat. Likeable Thad Matta supplants less-likeable Jim Tressel as the most popular man in Columbus.

Worst case: The 3s thud off Dayton rims, Terrence Dials gets in foul trouble and the Buckeyes go from Big Ten champs to being punked by the boys from the Southern Conference. Greg Oden can't arrive soon enough to change the subject.
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ABJ

3/16/06

​
Ohio State vs. Davidson

Busy day expected for Buckeyes' Dials

Terwilliger's availability on Friday questionable

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

COLUMBUS - Big Ten Player of the Year Terence Dials is ready to be a 40-minute man.

Ohio State survived down the stretch using just eight players and saw that number reduced to seven when Dials' backup, Matt Terwilliger, underwent an appendectomy before the Big Ten Tournament. But Dials, a senior center from Youngstown, led Ohio State to its first outright league title in 14 years and a berth in the conference tournament championship game.

Wednesday, Coach Thad Matta still wasn't sure about Terwilliger's availability as the Buckeyes (25-5) open NCAA Tournament play at 12:15 p.m. Friday against Southern Conference champion Davidson (20-10) at the University of Dayton Arena.

Asked if Terwilliger would see action, Matta said: ``If needed, which I'm sure we will. It's something that will be a game-time decision, to see how he's coming along. I told him he's got to shoot me straight with how he feels because I don't want to play an injured player.

``He worked out yesterday. He's slowly getting back, doing cardio stuff and shooting. I'm not going to jeopardize his health for a game of basketball.

But hopefully we can use him for a few minutes here and there.''

Terwilliger said, ``It was hard to watch, especially Sunday,'' but added that he will heed Matta's advice and not rush back too soon.

That might mean a continued heavy workload for Dials (15 points, eight rebounds per game).

``I can play 40 minutes if needed,'' Dials said. ``I've done it in the past. At this point in the season you should be in shape by now.''

Although Dials drew his second foul early in Sunday's loss to Iowa, Matta said: ``He's made drastic improvement from the beginning of the year in limiting his foul trouble. You know opponents are going to go at him. He's just got to be smart. And we've got to give him great support from the other four positions.''

While OSU might be short-handed, Dials said he will be as aggressive as ever.

``Obviously some of those calls didn't go our way, it's been happening all season,'' he said. ``You can't change your game because of one bad call here or there. Most of them were my fault, I know that and I've got to stop doing what I was doing.''

Diplomas can wait

Fifth-year seniors Dials and J.J. Sullinger are among those scheduled to graduate Sunday. A Buckeyes' victory would put them in a second-round game at 2:20 p.m. that day.

``I've already petitioned to walk in June,'' Sullinger said. ``I definitely don't want to be at graduation.''

Notebook

Matta gave the team Monday off and held a light practice on Tuesday so it could rest after playing three games in three days in the Big Ten Tournament, which concluded Sunday. ``I think our legs are back right now,'' Dials said.... Matta, a former player and coach at Butler and coach at Xavier, has been to UD Arena many times. He plans to take the team for dinner at Dominic's, an Italian restaurant nearby where former Dayton coach Don Donoher used to hold Flyer functions. Matta figures he'll order lasagna and the garlic-laden house salad. ``My wife's not going to be over there, so I'm OK,'' Matta said.
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Dispatch

3/16/06

Coach keeps Davidson focused on the present

Last year’s flameout, 2002 loss to OSU off the team’s radar

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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A year ago, Davidson was riding high into the Southern Conference tournament.

The Wildcats had rolled through league play with a 16-0 record. The conference tournament seemed destined to be a coronation with an NCAA Tournament berth as the reward. Then North Carolina-Greensboro pulled the crown off Davidson’s head with a semifinal upset.

With seven seniors returning from that team, it would have been understandable if Davidson coach Bob McKillop used that loss as motivation for this year’s team. But he said he hasn’t.

"It hasn’t driven me," said McKillop, whose 15 th-seeded team faces second-seeded Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Dayton. "It hasn’t driven our players. It hasn’t been a reference point. We understand that our team has a different identity than last year’s."

But the Wildcats did learn from last year’s disappointment. In their first conference tournament game this season, they played The Citadel.

"The first shot they made was a 32-foot jumper five seconds into the game," McKillop said. "The Citadel was clearly on a mission and it fed a fire."

Fourteen minutes into the game, The Citadel led by 19. A year ago against N.C.-Greensboro, the Wildcats buckled under the pressure. This time, they stuck to their game plan and won 79-73.

"Here’s where the experience factor clicked in," McKillop said. "You have seniors who’ve been through this before. They fought their way out of the hole whereas last year they couldn’t fight their way out of the hole."

Davidson won the league title with two more victories, including an 80-55 blowout of Chattanooga in the finals.

Davidson (20-10) has seven seniors, including McKillop’s son Matt and leading scorer Brendan Winters (17.1 points per game), son of former NBA player Brian Winters.

"Our players are constantly learning," McKillop said. "Even though they’re seniors, they’re sponges."

The Wildcats are unlikely to be fazed by anything the Buckeyes throw at them. Davidson beat Missouri, Saint Joseph’s and UMass. It suffered blowout losses to Duke (84-55) and North Carolina (92-58), but it made a repectable showing in a 90-80 loss at Syracuse.

"They’re a seasoned team," said former Ohio University coach Larry Hunter, now at league rival Western Carolina. "They’re very, very well-coached.

They play extremely hard. They’re surprisingly physical. They’re a very good passing team and a very solid shooting team."

Davidson hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 1969 when Lefty Driesell was its coach. Four years ago, though, the Wildcats, seeded 13 th, threw a scare into Ohio State before falling 69-64 in a first-round game in Albuquerque, N.M.

McKillop said that game has no relevance to this year’s matchup.
"Different coach and different players for them," he said. "Different venue. Nothing comparable at all."

This year Davidson is a No. 15 seed. If McKillop is upset about that, he’s keeping it to himself. He said it’s not worth spending time on something he can’t control.

Once the game begins, the seeds disappear and the teams remain.

"Davidson is not one of those teams you want to be playing when you have a low seed," Hunter said.

[email protected]
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Thursday, March 16, 2006
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Hah! Some folks are afraid we can't get past Nova. Did you see what we did to them in '39? Take that.

Also, notice that we have played mighty Kentucky five times in the Tourney - and won 'em all.
 
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