Seeing how yesterday was Greg Oden’s birthday (happy 40th…er….19th big guy), I guess it is time to put the disaster in Glendale behind us and look forward to March.
As usual, I am just getting up to speed with Ohio State Basketball. Every year, I say I am going to start watching earlier but always seems to be about mid-January before I really get in the swing of things.
With that in mind, thanks to the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which for some reason continues to broadcast Ohio State games, I was able to catch the OSU/Iowa game here in Maryland. Before we get into the birthday boy’s big game, he got more than a little help from his teammates.
Mike Conley, who is ranked fourth in the NCAA in assists, added another 10, many of which fed Oden. Late in the first half, the 6′1″ Conley pretty much went right over the top of Iowa center Seth Gorney, who measures in at 7′. On the way up, Conley caught Gorney’s nose with his elbow, knocking Gorney out of the game and still managing to score the basket.
With Gorney out and Iowa running into foul trouble, there wasn’t much to stand in Oden’s way and by the time it was over, Oden had put a career record 29pts. on the board. Add to that 10 rebounds and you’ve got yet another double/double. Oden, still playing with a brace on his right hand, only missed one shot from the field and went 5 of 5 from the foul line. And yes, he is still shooting foul shots with his left hand.
What I really like about Oden is that he was quick to share the win with his teammates saying that it was their assists that made the game. All he had to do was put it in the basket. For a kid that received about as much high school attention as Lebron James, he does seem to keep his head on his shoulders. Mike Conley, who spent a high school career in the shadow of Oden, seems to know how to find Oden when it matters most.
I don’t know what it is about this young team but as you watch them, you can’t help but get this sense that they are developing and growing every game. One of the commentators made the observation after the Iowa game that the Buckeyes are young and he didn’t know if they could keep this level of play all season. From what I have seen, I seem to think that they are on pace to peek right about tourney time.
The Buckeyes have 11 games left in the regular season and the Big Ten tournament. Obviously, the biggest game will be against #2 ranked Wisconsin who we meet in Columbus. While we haven’t fared well on the road in the big games, the Buckeyes have been controlling the floor at home. If they can run the table from here on out, that will leave the Big Ten tournament. A win at the tourney and a number one seed can’t be far behind.
And running the table is not a long shot by any means. While the Bucks will need to step up the away games, Wisconsin is really the only threat that Ohio State should face. Let’s just hope Oden’s hand is healthy come March.
