Friday, March 17, 2000
Ohio, Appalachian have different states of mind
BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When Appalachian State won the Southern Conference tournament last week, coach Buzz Peterson joked, he had to show his players how to cut down a net in celebration.
Ohio State had no such problem when it won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title a week earlier. The Buckeyes had learned that skill on their journey to the Final Four last season.
OHIO STATE vs.
APPALACHIAN STATE
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• When: 7:50 p.m. today
• Where: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, Tenn.
• Radio: WBOB-AM (1160)
• TV: Ch.12, 7
• Records: Ohio State 22-6, ASU 23-8
BY THE NUMBERS
• 22.7: Scoring average of ASU's Tyson Patterson in the Southern Conference tournament
• 16: Steals by Scoonie Penn in OSU's last five games
• 1: First-round loss by Ohio State in 19 previous NCAA Tournaments
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It might be the least important of the many differences between these two NCAA Tournament first-round opponents, but it illustrates the contrast in their outlooks. While Appalachian State (23-8), the South Region's No.14 seed, is happy just to be in the tournament, the third-seeded Buckeyes (22-6) are looking to win.
The Mountaineers, who play the Buckeyes at 7:50 p.m. today, haven't been to the tournament since 1979. Ohio State, in contrast, returns four of its five starters from last season's Final Four team, giving the Buckeyes a valuable experience edge.
“You still feel a little pumped up,” Ohio State junior Michael Redd said Friday after Ohio State's practice drew a smattering of fans and a few autograph hounds. “We feel a little more comfortable this year. Last year, we really didn't know what to expect. We definitely feel more relaxed, taking it in stride.”
Experience is a major difference in this matchup, but there are others.
The Buckeyes tied for the regular-season championship of what is arguably the nation's best conference. The Mountaineers needed eight straight points by point guard Tyson Patterson to help them turn around in the Southern Conference tournament's championship game.
Ohio State has the nation's leading shot blocker, 6-foot-11 Ken Johnson. ASU has no starter taller than 6-8 center Corey Cooper and runs 6-5 and 6-2 at the forward spots against OSU's 6-6 Michael Redd and 6-7 George Reese.
A repeat Final Four trip for the Buckeyes would surprise few. An Appalachian State upset today would throw most NCAA office pools for a loop.
But there is one difference that works to the Mountaineers' favor: While they've proven to be a good 3-point shooting team (39 percent), Ohio State has not (31 percent), missing 22 of 26 attempts in its Big Ten tournament loss to Penn State last week.
Ohio State has at times struggled to defend the 3-point shot, a factor that could come into play against Patterson (14.4 points, 35 percent of which are 3-pointers) and guards Shawn Alexander (11.2 points, 39 percent), Matt McMahon (36 percent) and Rufus Leach (100 of his 172 field goals have been 3-pointers).
“We have to guard on the perimeter,” Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien said. “That's one of the areas we're most concerned about.”
The stragety is simple for the Buckeyes: Shoot better and defend better than they did in the Penn State loss. That game was one of two all season, both losses, in which the Bucks allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent or better (Notre Dame 50 percent, Penn State 52 percent).
The Bucks shot just 38 percent from the field against Penn State and just 33 percent in the season-opening loss to Notre Dame. Still, they shot 16 percent from 3-point range against Illinois and won by 13.
“We haven't been a great 3-point shooting team, but we've been a good scoring team,” O'Brien said. “Making the 3-pointers is probably not as big a factor as some people think.”
Point guard Scoonie Penn talked about a freshness in the Buckeyes in the wake of that Big Ten tournament loss, and O'Brien sees it as well.
“We needed to make it a gradual ascension toward being ready for the tournament,” O'Brien said, “and hopefully that will pay off for us (today).”
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