No. 1 Ohio State--78, #16 Central Connecticut--57 (Game Thread)

[osugrad21]

Link

Buckeyes sustain their intensity
No. 1 seed plays aggressively in first-round rout
BY KEVIN KELLY | [email protected]
http://del.icio.us/post

LEXINGTON - As an assistant coach with Western Carolina in 1996, Thad Matta nearly witnessed NCAA Tournament history from a courtside spot.
The Catamounts, a No. 16 seed that year, fell a few points short of upsetting top-seeded Purdue.
Matta shared the story with his Ohio State players as they prepared for Thursday's first-round game against No. 16 seed Central Connecticut at Rupp Arena.

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[osugrad21]

Cincy

Ohio State notebook
Butler finds his scoring touch; Early 3-pointers set tone for OSU
BY KEVIN KELLY |
http://del.icio.us/post

LEXINGTON - Jamar Butler halted a shooting slump in a hurry Thursday night at Rupp Arena.
The Ohio State junior guard, who shot 31.3 percent from the field in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, made a trio of 3-pointers that helped the No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Buckeyes get out to a comfortable lead early against No. 16-seed Central Connecticut State.
Five of the first six shots Ohio State made during its 78-57 NCAA Tournament first-round win Thursday came from behind the 3-point line.

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[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Ohio State rout fun to watch, but didn?t mean much
Friday, March 16, 2007
BOB HUNTER


LEXINGTON, Ky. ? We all know the drill. As soon as a No. 1 seed finds out the identity of its first-round opponent, its players and coaches start blathering about how much they respect their poor, overmatched firstround victims, even though they have no idea who they are, where their school is located or what conference they play in.
"(Fill in the name of No. 16 seed here) is a good team, or they wouldn?t be in the tournament," a player for Team Juggernaut will say.

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[osugrad21]

Dispatch

OHIO STATE NOTEBOOK
Conley can grin when ref buys sleight of hand
Friday, March 16, 2007
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Ohio State guard Mike Conley Jr. added another element to his game last night.
He faked an official into erroneously giving the Buckeyes the ball during their 78-57 win over Central Connecticut State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Rupp Arena.
Conley tipped a pass out of bounds and signaled with his arm toward Ohio State?s end of the floor. The official followed suit.
Conley had a huge grin as the ball was inbounded to him.
"He bought it," Conley said.

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[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Buckeyes show their range
Butler hits five three-pointers to match his career high and OSU makes 11 in opening romp
Friday, March 16, 2007
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Ohio State?s Daequan Cook shoots over Central Connecticut?s Javier Mojica. Cook scored nine points.
LEXINGTON, Ky. ? While acknowledging they have become less reliant on the three-point shot, Ohio State men?s basketball players insisted they were not abstaining from it. It all depended, they said, on what defenses chose to give them.
"I don?t think this team is ever going to stop shooting threes," Jamar Butler said the day before the Buckeyes played their first game in the NCAA Tournament. "I know I?m not going to."

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[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Playing and partying
OSU gets off to festive start in NCAAs
Friday, March 16, 2007
Todd Jones
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A young Ohio State fan gets in a cheering mood prior to the Ohio State-Central Connecticut State first-round tournament game in Lexington, Ky.

Ohio State freshman center Greg Oden makes an emphatic point during the second half against Central Connecticut State.
while cruising to victory in its firstround NCAA Tournament game. The Buckeyes, a 21?-point favorite, put on a performance befitting their No. 1 seed in the tournament?s South Region by crushing No. 16-seeded Central Connecticut State 78-57.

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