Any more questions about Ohio State being ready for postseason tournament play? Last night’s dismantling of their first round foe was certainly expected……but, everyone was curious to see if the Buckeyes would waltz their way through it…..or play with the intensity required in NCAA play.

No more questions from here. As long as coach Thad Matta is a walking, breathing coach, his teams will play with intensity and fire. Sure, you might not his on all cylinders every night, but, with the talent that Ohio State has, that intensity and fire showed last night will take them a long way. I continue to be impressed by what I think is the most underestimated strength of the Buckeye team — it’s tenacious defense. Even the normally stoic Thad Matta had to admit after last night’s game that his team did alot of things right.

As for Xavier — it’ll be a tough game for all the obvious reasons. Should Ohio State win it? Yes. Should they win big? Probably. But, let’s see how hungry Xavier is tomorrow. And, let’s see if last night’s grueling win over BYU might take a fatigue toll somewhat on the Musketeers. We all know the extremely close relationship between Thad Matta and Xavier coach Sean Miller and the entire Xavier family. The other major factor to ponder in this second round matchup: Drew Lavender. The Brookhaven Flash will really want this one. His coach talked about the game about Lavender’s background…..coming from Brookhaven, a tough school….a school known for his athletic successes. Drew Lavender loves being a difference maker. He loves having the ball in his hands down the stretch. Clearly, Ohio State’s game plan will be to take him out of those situations.

As I write this, I’m working at Nationwide Arena for the NCAA tournament games. I’m serving as the NCAA news conference moderator. You should know that while Columbus didn’t draw a #1 seed, or a #2 seed, or a #3 seed, Columbus drew a field full of great teams that want to be here, are excited about advancing in the game they love and coached by wonderful, dedicated men.

We know about Bruce Peal at Tennessee and Bruce Weber from Illinois. We’ve all heard alot about them through the years, but, yesterday, I loved listening to the comments of the coaches from Albany, Holy Cross, Long Beach State, Southern Illinois, Virginia Tech and Virginia yesterday. They have such a tremendous passion for their student-athletes. It’s great to see!

We’re near the first tipoff of the day and — unfortunately — four of these teams will be leaving us after today. It’ll be sad for the coaches and players, but they have all demonstrated great attitudes and understand the life lessons these games teach.

Enjoy the NCAA — keep you eyes on the Buckeyes!!! They looked like the real-deal in game #1.

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