Saturday, March 18, 2006
Dials, Not Distance, The Difference
Ohio State's players sat in the lockerroom, listening to the cheers through the cold brick walls of the UD Arena. Dayton is a short trip from Columbus, and might as well be home court for the Buckeyes. But for a change, the scraming and shouting did not come from the fans. No, at halftime of Friday's opening round NCAA Tournament matchup, it was Davidson making all the noise.
Terrence Dials would not admit to it, but he heard the premature celebration of the 15th seeded Wildcats. He boiled at the thought of an early exit, his conscience nagged by the 3-for-12 effort he put forth in the first half. Ohio State trailed 29-25, and Dials was mad enough to do something about it.
"Terrence said 'Get it to me, I'm going to score,'" said guard Je'Kel Foster, who was in no position to argue. The Buckeyes shot 7% (1-for-14) from three point range in the first half. They were in danger of dying by the three that so famously brought them life in the regular season.
Then, they exploded. To be fair, Ron Lewis brought Ohio State back to live with back to back three pointers and 16 second half points. But it was Terrence Dials who carried his team into the second round.
Without Dials, the Big Ten Player of the Year, the Buckeyes simply become another Tourney Tidbit. Trivia: who was the fifth 2nd seed in history to fall to a 15 seed? Answer: Ohio State in 2006.
Ian Johnson, the Wildcats bearded bigman, left Ohio State head coach Thad Matta shaking his head. "I'm not sure anyone in college basketball could have stopped him," marvelled Matta, clearly impressed by a left hand move that put the "awful" in "awfully smooth."
You could make the argument that Davidson (20-11) was better than a 15th seed. Matta did. But just as easily, you could counter with a case for an overrated Ohio State team whose three point prowess seemed mythical, not magical.
In the second half against Davidson, Dials would not buy it. He attoned for the atrocious first half, hitting 6-of-9 shots and controlling the glass in the clutch. If the Buckeyes had no answer for the versitale 6'9" Johnson, the Wildcats could not solve the powerful 6'9" Dials.
"We've prepared all season against the Big Ten, and we knew the Southern Conference wasn't the Big Ten, so why not go out and get a win," said Dials, of the matchup with Davidson.
Message sent.
#2 Ohio State meets #7 Georgetown on Sunday. Remember to keep it on NewsChannel 5 for the most complete coverage of the Buckeyes' Road to Indianapolis. We'll take you inside Ohio State's lockerroom on Toyota Sports Sunday at 11:32 PM, immediately following the news.
Terrence Dials would not admit to it, but he heard the premature celebration of the 15th seeded Wildcats. He boiled at the thought of an early exit, his conscience nagged by the 3-for-12 effort he put forth in the first half. Ohio State trailed 29-25, and Dials was mad enough to do something about it.
"Terrence said 'Get it to me, I'm going to score,'" said guard Je'Kel Foster, who was in no position to argue. The Buckeyes shot 7% (1-for-14) from three point range in the first half. They were in danger of dying by the three that so famously brought them life in the regular season.
Then, they exploded. To be fair, Ron Lewis brought Ohio State back to live with back to back three pointers and 16 second half points. But it was Terrence Dials who carried his team into the second round.
Without Dials, the Big Ten Player of the Year, the Buckeyes simply become another Tourney Tidbit. Trivia: who was the fifth 2nd seed in history to fall to a 15 seed? Answer: Ohio State in 2006.
Ian Johnson, the Wildcats bearded bigman, left Ohio State head coach Thad Matta shaking his head. "I'm not sure anyone in college basketball could have stopped him," marvelled Matta, clearly impressed by a left hand move that put the "awful" in "awfully smooth."
You could make the argument that Davidson (20-11) was better than a 15th seed. Matta did. But just as easily, you could counter with a case for an overrated Ohio State team whose three point prowess seemed mythical, not magical.
In the second half against Davidson, Dials would not buy it. He attoned for the atrocious first half, hitting 6-of-9 shots and controlling the glass in the clutch. If the Buckeyes had no answer for the versitale 6'9" Johnson, the Wildcats could not solve the powerful 6'9" Dials.
"We've prepared all season against the Big Ten, and we knew the Southern Conference wasn't the Big Ten, so why not go out and get a win," said Dials, of the matchup with Davidson.
Message sent.
#2 Ohio State meets #7 Georgetown on Sunday. Remember to keep it on NewsChannel 5 for the most complete coverage of the Buckeyes' Road to Indianapolis. We'll take you inside Ohio State's lockerroom on Toyota Sports Sunday at 11:32 PM, immediately following the news.
Posted at 5:12 PM
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