Ohio State 75, Florida 84 (final - NC Game)

[Steve19]

Well, that's it. The great sports genius and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gregg (I'm such a genius I get an extra g) Doyel has pronounced that we have lost the NC game already. Of course, you may remember that he's had us losing every other big game down the stretch as well. So, this should be a real confidence builder.

Somebody put this article up in the locker room (link). The guys need a laugh to break all the tension...

Ohio State couldn't beat Florida in December, and Ohio State can't beat Florida in April.

Too bad these teams didn't play in February. The Buckeyes might have won a game then. Or at least made it interesting.

Monday night? In the national championship game? Won't be interesting at all. Won't be interesting until Florida coach Billy Donovan is wearing a net around his neck and asked if he gives a s--- about the Kentucky job.

Oh, and by the way Greg (where's my extra g, Mommy?), you're a doos. It's an Afrikaans word Greg, but then being all-knowing, you knew that. And you wouldn't need a translation to know what you are.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Well, that's it. The great sports genius and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gregg (I'm such a genius I get an extra g) Doyel has pronounced that we have lost the NC game already. .

That makes it unanimous among all the experts or should. Not 1 in the last 5 hours I have been watching on ESPN has picked the Buckeyes. We might as well not show up.

 

[Steve19]

After we dusted them during the year in football, that's what they told UCLA before the Rose Bowl when they beat us. I have this funny feeling that we might just win this one the same way.

One thing is for sure. These Buckeyes will show up and they will not give up.:osu:

 

[BB73]

I agree that when the Buckeyes are in man, Oden should spend most of his time on Horford. Horford is stronger than Noah and has a better post-up game. If Oden can stay out of foul trouble, he can limit Horford's points without getting help.

I also see Hunter guarding Noah. He won't shoot from beyond 15 feet, but he's very effective rolling off high screens. Defending that high screen will be very key, since the guy guarding Noah has to 'show' in order to prevent a three (off the dribble, this will be mostly by Green, and less often Brewer). But switching will put a guard on Noah as he comes down the lane to crash the boards. The Buckeyes can't leave Humphrey alone, since he's deadly, but when Noah puts the ball on the floor, it's time to reach down for steals because of his high dribble.

If Harris and Lighty are able to keep Noah off the boards when they're guarding him, like they limited Jeff Green on Saturday, that would be huge.

Noah frequently moves when he sets screens, although I didn't see him doing it on Saturday. If he does, I'd like to see him get called on that, like they nailed Oden at the start of the G'Town game. It's subtle, but it gives Florida an advantage. If I'm Matta, I'm in the refs ears about that even before the game starts.

 

[sandgk]

Lest we forget (or Sporstline yank Doyel's original predictive on the Georgetown game).

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Ohio State also has a big edge on the wing, with Ron Lewis a better player than Jessie Sapp. Throw in the Buckeyes' superior depth, and this game is a no-brainer for the Buckeyes, right? [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Almost. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] For Ohio State, there's the Jeff Green conundrum. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] The Buckeyes have nobody who can defend Green. Nobody who can come remotely close. Green is the Hoyas' 6-9 combo-forward who scores from the perimeter and on the post and everywhere in between. His season scoring average is modest at 14.4 points per game, but he's capable of putting up big numbers -- he had 22 in the Elite Eight against North Carolina, and Big East coaches voted him the Player of the Year -- and Georgetown will need him to do just that against Ohio State. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] And Ohio State won't be able to stop him. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Ohio State's starting power forward, Ivan Harris, is a scorer, not a defender. Green will throttle him all over the floor, which means the Buckeyes will have to put a smaller defender on Green -- say, the 6-4 Lewis -- and hope Oden can help when Green takes Lewis close to the basket and posts him up. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Or the Buckeyes might have to tinker with their entire lineup and play with a second big man, 6-9 Othello Hunter, alongside Oden. Hunter has the size and bounce to defend in the post, but Green is a 38 percent shooter from 3-point range, an area Hunter won't be comfortable trying to defend. And what kind of havoc would Hunter's presence have on Ohio State's offense, which typically has four perimeter players orbiting around Oden? [/FONT]

Brilliant!!

 

[Big Papa]

Well let's go back to 12/23 when your fans were saying how over-rated we were. That's respect? Or let's go to all the farks of our Script-Ohio that went around during the national championship game?

Understand something, sports aside, I have a lot of respect for the history of almost any university. Those are put in place by the past, those are history, and I hate to say it, those are sacred.

I don't have to relax and bite a pillow, tho thanks for the offer, simply put, tOSU has done a lot more than almost any other school. I live in Southern California, and I am watching a college football dynasty take place at USC, and even though it irritates the hell out of me, I appreciate it, because it's history.

The same goes for Florida currently, however, at the bar tonight watching the game game I had to leave because the Florida fans came in, while I understand this isn't all the fans, it is the representation.

Don't let anything I say take away from UF's accomplishments, my hats off to you, and you are setting your place in history, and yes, just like the Woody era I realize it won't last and you should enjoy it and make the best of it while it lasts. However, a t-shirt of the Script Ohio with a gator taking a crap to Dot the I hardly shows appreciation for our traditions.

As for your players, I think the disrespect to John Wooden by the current UF team has shown that this florida team has displayed that Florida's current success has come with the thought "the past is the past, we are the present" which on one hand is cool however on the other hand really takes away from the past accomplishments of other schools, in this case UCLA, which being trapped in SoCal, even though I hate them, they are the pinacle of collage basketball success with 11 championships.

My message was more that I didn't want to see tOSU fans saying "oh the end is near" because this is a buckeye board and I am a buckeye, if you felt disrespected, I used examples that I had seen, not made up and I hope you don't take it as being a spoil sport or a whiney bitch. I just want to see our fans supporting our guys, because as a buckeye I bleed scarlet and grey and I expect the rest our our fans to do the same :)

This has to get a GPA.

 

[skatesuf]

Good response skatesuf, to paraphrase what Bengal fans say about Chad Johnson, "Noah's an assclown, but he is our goddamned assclown and we love him."
I'm much in agreement with a lot of what you wrote - but the quoted part above I seriously question.

I've never heard that quote before (probably bc I don't watch or follow the Bengals the least bit), but that is EXACTLY what I was saying. Yes his yelling is rediculous, but whatever helps my team...

As for Noah helping with the 3's, I'm just going by what I've heard our players say. He starts yelling and getting pumped, pumps them up, helps them get in a groove. This group is really unlike any other team I've ever seen/heard about. The play together, they live together; the go out together; the ones that are dating someone, their gf's are good friends. The best way to describe this group is they are quadruplets with an older brother. The four juniors are almost never apart. Their hearts all beat in perfect symphony together. Lee is the odd man out, but he's not out. He is slightly less in sync with the others, but he's right there. They feed off each other (mainly Noah) more than any team I've seen.

 

[Best Buckeye]

I agree that when the Buckeyes are in man, Oden should spend most of his time on Horford. Horford is stronger than Noah and has a better post-up game. If Oden can stay out of foul trouble, he can limit Horford's points without getting help.

I also see Hunter guarding Noah. He won't shoot from beyond 15 feet, but he's very effective rolling off high screens. Defending that high screen will be very key, since the guy guarding Noah has to 'show' in order to prevent a three (off the dribble, this will be mostly by Green, and less often Brewer). But switching will put a guard on Noah as he comes down the lane to crash the boards. The Buckeyes can't leave Humphrey alone, since he's deadly, but when Noah puts the ball on the floor, it's time to reach down for steals because of his high dribble.

If Harris and Lighty are able to keep Noah off the boards when they're guarding him, like they limited Jeff Green on Saturday, that would be huge.

Noah frequently moves when he sets screens, although I didn't see him doing it on Saturday. If he does, I'd like to see him get called on that, like they nailed Oden at the start of the G'Town game. It's subtle, but it gives Florida an advantage. If I'm Matta, I'm in the refs ears about that even before the game starts.

I agree ... Well said

 

[BUCKYLE]

Oden isn't playing with one arm tied behind his back this time, folks.

Bingo.

GO BUCKS!!!

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Everyone picking against tOSU, defending champions trying to repeat, "experts" saying the game will be a blow out..

.. adds more to my earlier stated theory that this feels like the 2002 football run at the National Title

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I think any college sports fan base in America would love to change places with the Gators right now. Even you guys.

Let's see:

Football National Titles: Ohio State 7, Florida 2
Football Conference Titles: Ohio State 31, Florida 7
Basketball Final Fours: Ohio State 10, Florida 4

When you've approached our accomplishments then you can talk shit, but for now the Univerisity of Florida in no more than a flash-in-the-pan...

 

[ImFrigginFly]

Let's see:

Football National Titles: Ohio State 7, Florida 2
Football Conference Titles: Ohio State 31, Florida 7
Basketball Final Fours: Ohio State 10, Florida 4

When you've approached our accomplishments then you can talk shit, but for now the Univerisity of Florida in no more than a flash-in-the-pan...

Oh my...

 

[Big Papa]

wait, didnt florida lost to Tennessee, LSU, Vandervilt, Florida St., and Kansas. wait and i think Ohio state beat Tennessee twice, oh yeah they did. So much for all the hype saying that this is better than the michigan fab five, they would've smoked florida.......OVERRATED FLorida-GO BUcks!!:osu:

Noah will be praying that Oden doesnt destroy him!! once again we are underdogs, and you know what that means!!!

I would not exactly call them overrated. They were a little complacent during the season and got a little lazy. They are a good team and the boys will have their work cut out for them. This will definitely be their toughest game yet, a team that was there last year an won it. That being said, this Bucks team is battle tested and hungry, and I also believe in teams of destiny, and this team is destined to bring home the championship.

 

[Big Papa]

i also hate the fact that Joakim Noah thinks he is all amazing!!!

Now that kid you can call overrated. I don't think he is that special at all.

 

[Big Papa]

i think he is grossly overrated but you are entitled to your opinion. i believe richards and horford are both superior players to him.

Yeah, I definintely agree with you there. There are a couple better players on that team than Noah.