NCAA Tournament, Elite Eight: Stunned

Stunned.

That is the one word I will use to describe last night's game between Ohio State and Witchita State, and I think it is fitting.

I think we've all grown tired of hearing that other word that CBS/TNT analysts have often used, especially if you happen to be an Ohio State fan like myself.

No, I'm stunned. Stunned that not only would two of the team's best players (Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas) have their worst shooting games of the season on the same night, but, for 31 minutes, it also seemed that Ohio State wanted victory less than Witchita State did.

Seriously, for about three fourths of the game, instead of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, it felt like Thad Matta's Nightmare Before Easter. The team kept missing shot after shot, taking ill-advised three after three. And, to make matters worse, whenever Witchita State would miss, there was nary an Ohio State defender around to even challenge for the rebound.

About five minutes into the second half of last night's contest, I received a text message stating that Aaron Craft was the most overrated player in the country (from a fellow OSU fan, no less). Having committed 3 fouls, 3 turnovers, and on the worst shooting performance of the night, he might have been right. The really sad part is that, despite having more turnovers than assists and steals combined at that point, Craft's on the ball defense of the Witchita State point guard was absolutely horrendous.

At the 15 minute mark, with the Buckeyes down  22, 55-33, I should have just walked away and chalked it up as another loss. Then, with about 9 minutes and 30 seconds left, things started to change. Sophomore LaQuinton Ross would come off the bench to hit some timely threes. The Buckeyes would soon clamp up on defense, hitting the glass too, chipping away at the lead. And with some key free-throw shooting, they had cut the Shockers lead to 4 with just over two minutes to play.

Would the miracle run for Ohio State continue? Unfortunately, no. But Ohio State fans shouldn't be disappointed with their finish this season, even if a loss to the West Region's no. 9 seed wasn't the way they wanted to go out. After all, they did make it deeper into the tournament (the Elite Eight) than three of the four 1 seeds, and all but one of the other 2 seeds (Duke still plays Louisville this afternoon).

And guys like LaQuinton Ross have given fans something to look forward to next season. If junior (that's right Mr. Elmore, I said junior) forward Thomas returns for another year, expectations will be even greater.

But that is still several weeks away. Last night, once again, I ran the gamut of emotions (anger, elation, and then melancholy) that has become the signature of March Madness. And, while in the heat of the moment I had decided I would not talk to anyone about the game or my brackets anymore, this morning I have calmed down. After all, it is only a game.

Want to know something else? Even though all of my brackets are busted and I don't have a dog in the fight, I may actually cheer for Big Ten rival Michigan tonight(whose gone mad now? ha ha). That is of course, as long as Duke beats Louisville.

March Maddness, Bottom Line: Ohio State Keeps Winning

Mmmmadd, Maddness. Or so goes the song by alternative rock band Muse, chosen by CBS Sports as the theme song for the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

The 2013 NCAA tournament is full of Maddness this season, no different than any other year really. In fact, the odds that I win any of the four brackets I filled out are slim and none.

And I'll let you in on a little known secret: I could care less if I lose all of them, if it means that Ohio State is cutting down the nets on April 8th. For that would signify the Buckeyes are National Champions, king of the courts for the first time in my lifetime.

As a matter of fact, I will admit that last season I finished dead last in the tourney pool amongst my family members, finishing behind my nine year-old niece, who doesn't watch sports at all. The rest of the family had a good laugh at my expense, as well they should. It was quite funny. And I could finish last again.

Of course I will point out that the final four of my bracket 1A is Louisville, Ohio State, VCU, and Miami. For comparison purposes, it should be known that I just saw ESPN college basketball expert Jay Bilas' Final Four is Louisville, Ohio State, VCU, and Indiana. The point being that, not only did we come up with three of the same Final Four participants (and I guarantee you I didn't let him copy off of me, even though he begged me to do so), only Louisville and Ohio State remain in our respective brackets. And while I am getting paid the big bucks, Bilas is sitting on his cozy stoop in the ESPN studios at Bristol making his minimum wage.

But I digress, the point is, I would love nothing more than to see the Buckeyes win it all. This Maddnness has driven me so insane that Thursday, as my day job proceeded into the night, I couldn't decide which would be worse: missing the game due to my job, or Ohio State getting knocked out of the tournament. At the end of the day, it was clear that I wanted Ohio State to keep playing, regardless. And they did.

Madddnnesss, I tell you.

Did I mention that I bet my best friend $10 heads up that my bracket would finish better than his? I have told him repeatedly I will gladly pay up that bet if it means the Bucks win it all. Of course, I should note that he has significantly more money to lose in this tourney than I do, but, hey, that really isn't my problem, is it?

 So, when its all said and done, I hope my team wins the whole bleeping thing. Cause if they don't, I am going to be kicking myself madd I didn't do a better job of guessing in these brackets.

A few other observations as we head into the Elite Eight:

Leave Aaron Craft alone. Where's all the criticism of Deshaun Thomas?

For as much as Buckeye fans want to pin the team's recent struggles on Aaron Craft's inability to make free throws in the latter stages of the game, I would like to offer up another scape goat: Deshaun Thomas.

It has seemed all along that fans want to overlook Thomas' flaws (there are several) because he leads the team in points and rebounds. But there are times in every game where I think to myself, "this guy is really the leader of this basketball team?"

I mean, first off, let's examine his shot selection. Within 7-10 feet, there is probably no one in the nation better than Deshaun Thomas. When he moves to the perimeter however, it becomes more problematic. If he has an open shot, and he gets his feet set, I say let him shoot. The thing is, he often takes off balance shots from three point range (sometimes with defenders in his face. Which brings me to another point. My best friends argue ad nauseam how difficult it is to defend the three. How is it, then, when Thomas shoots a three, many times the defenders are right in his face?)

Then there is DT's defense, or lack thereof. It should come as no surprise that, in the Iowa State game, the reason Aaron Craft took a controversial charge was simple: Thomas was out of position. And this still happens quite often. For as much as fans want to say he has improved that part of his game, he still employs the O-le method of on the ball defense.

So it seems funny to me that people believe Thomas is a lock to leave for the NBA next season. Especially when they were quick to ridicule Jared Sullinger last year, even though the Northland graduate was a much more polished player than DT is now.

Michigan may have caught the break of the tournament last night.

I know this may seem like I am hating, especially since, in my last post, I claimed the Wolverines were playing the best ball of anyone in the tournament. But hear me out.

Last night the Kansas Jayhawks had Michigan beat and let them off the hook. Seriously. This is no Denny Green "We had 'em...and we let 'em off the hook, so crown them champions" bs. No, Kansas was clearly dominating the game, up by double digits with six minutes left, and shooting over 55% from the field. All they had to do was run out the clock and they were moving on to the Elite Eight.

Yet something happened that has still left me dumbfounded. It was as if, in the waning moments of regulation and overtime, KU point guard Elias Johnson stopped playing smart basketball. There was the missed front end of the one-and-one. And the 10 second backcourt violation. Then the wild pass at the end of overtime to someone who is not even a good perimeter shooter.

That is not to say that Trey Burke and company didn't play hard. Burke's three pointer, from about 30 feet, was just as dramatic as Ross' bomb a night earlier. And it appears that this tournament has single-handedly propelled freshman center Mitch McGary into a star as well. But the way the game ended had to leave anyone not wearing Maize and Blue extremely perplexed at the very least.

Florida has quietly put themselves in position to make another final four.

The talk of the South regional for days has been the cinderella Florida Gulf Coast and its coach, Andy Enfield. And it seemed that, for the opening moments of last night's game versus Florida, the glass slipper would remain. The Eagles raced out to a 24-15 early lead with five minutes left in the 1st half.

From there it was all Florida. Going on a 22-7 run that would last deep into the second half, the Gators would eventually win going away, 62-50. And, while most of the focus on that side of the bracket centers on Michigan and Syracuse, it would be foolish to count team Billyball out.

Coach K inches one step closer to a basketball immortal, the late great John Wooden.

Be honest, if I asked you how many Final Fours Duke had been to under Mike Krzyweski, what would you say? Seven? Eight? Cause that is what I guessed.

Try 14. I know it surprised me too. Which might be one reason he is so hated among so many people.

That's all for now. Enjoy the games and don't let March Madness get you too down.

Ohio State Basketball: Are They Tournament Ready?

With two games left in the 2012-2013 regular season, and the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments around the corner, opinions on the Ohio State men's basketball team are as varied as which four schools should get No. 1 seeds to the Big Dance.

Truth of the matter is the Buckeyes have no legitimate scoring threat beyond Deshaun Thomas. That flaw has been painstakingly apparent in each of OSU's five Big Ten losses this season, most notably in blowout defeats on the road to Wisconsin and Illinois. Thomas accounted for approximately 40% of the Buckeyes scoring in both of those losses.

That is not to say Thomas himself doesn't have serious flaws. The junior foward-guard forces way too many shots, and his accuracy from beyond 17 feet needs some work. Not to mention that, defensively, he plays a little too much of the 'ole' (pronounced O-lay) defense.

But I digress. After 28 games, what type of team is Ohio State? Their  head coach, Thad Matta, is routinely criticized, more often than not for his reluctance to make in-game adjustments. Two of their more ballyhooed sophomores, Laquinton Ross and Amir Williams, have not lived up to expectations. And they have let teams such as Purdue and Northwestern hang with them despite having a clear advantage in talent.

Yet, at the end of the day, this team may be poised to make a huge run come NCAA tournament time. For starters, they are in the thick of the Big Ten race despite Thomas being the only scoring threat, in large part due to the suffocating defense that Matta employs. This was never more evident than in the last game at Northwestern, where the Buckeyes won despite shooting a dismal 41.9% from the field. The Buckeyes are led on the defensive end by point guard Aaron Craft, but sophomore guards Sam Thompson and Shannon Scott have also stepped up their games on that end.

So the Buckeyes have flaws, but so does every other team in the nation this year. Which is why the NCAA tournament should be really fun to watch.

Ohio State Basketball: Amir Williams, LaQuinton Ross are X Factors for the Buckeyes

As the Ohio State University men's basketball team is still reeling from last night's 76-74  overtime loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor, there are still some unanswered questions.

Chief among them is why head coach Thad Matta refused to call timeout with a little more than seven seconds left in overtime, leaving the potential tying basket to chance rather than a set play. Instead, Matta trusted that his team would be able to catch the Wolverines off guard, and that the Buckeyes would live to play one more overtime. The game would end, however, when junior point guard Aaron Craft 's layup was blocked by Michigan guard Tim Hardaway, Jr.

Yet, despite the fact that the Buckeyes lost their third Big Ten game of the 2012-2013 season, there is a silver lining to last night's loss. First of all, Ohio State took the Wolverines best shot, on the road, and went toe to toe with the No. 3 team in the nation before falling to them in overtime. That in itself speaks volumes for a team that, only a month ago, was blown out by Illinois when two met in Assembly Hall.

More importantly, however, for the Buckeyes might be that sophomores Amir Williams and LaQuinton Ross may finally be living up to the hype that surrounded them as freshmen last year. Ross, a 6-9 swingman from Mississippi, scored 16 points for Ohio State last night on 7-10 shooting, including a perfect 2-2 from three point range. Williams added nine points but, more importantly, had four blocked shots on the defensive end.

These two couldn't have picked a better night to have what was by far the best game of their careers at Ohio State. Ross is still averaging only 8 points per game over the last five Big Ten contests, yet he has steadily seen his minutes increase since the last time Ohio State played Michigan (in Columbus). If he continues to shoot as well he did last night, it won't be long before he's averaging double digits.

And while no one expected Amir Williams to duplicate Jared Sullinger's numbers on the offensive side of the ball, his progression on the defensive side of the ball( he's averaging three blocks per game in his last five games) has to be music to the ears of Buckeyes' fans who felt the center from Detroit would be this year's version of Anthony Davis. Now if coach Matta can only get him to rebound the ball a little better.

But I digress. The point of the matter being, as Ohio State marches toward the NCAA tournament, Amir Williams and Laquinton Ross's improvements over the last several games mean the Buckeyes should no longer be an easy out. Ross is finally starting to come around as the Bucks' scoring alternative to forward Deshaun Thomas. And Williams seems quite content to be a game changer on the defensive end. With this year's tournament field being as weak as it is, it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see Ohio State once again playing on the final weekend.