Hoyas - Ohio State National Semifinal Pre-Game

[DanMcQ]

HoyaSaxa.com Pre-Game Notes


AJC photos from Hoyas Friday practice


Wash Times (3/31) - Barker Davis: Long on challenges

"Great teams can adapt to mismatches and difficult situations," Green said. "They've proved that they can still be successful without Oden, so getting him out of the game is no guarantee. The only guarantee is that it's going to be a great battle."

Wash Post (3/31) - Camille Powell: Can They Cut It?
Hoyas Are Two Wins Away From Complete Turnaround

"They have roles, but their roles aren't boxes," Bilas said. "If you looked at this like they were a group of plants -- if you put them in five separate pots, the plants would grow and conform to the size of the pot. But these guys are just planted in the ground, and they may have roles, but at the same time, they can break out of those roles when the situation dictates it."

Wash Post (3/31) - Mike Wise: The Hoyas' splendid identity crisis


Wash Post (3/31) - John Feinstein: Georgetown Owes Some Thanks to Those No Longer There


Wash Times (3/31) - Jon Siegel: Buckeyes guard Conley emerges front and center



Wash Post (3/31) - Sally Jenkins: In the Name of the Fathers


More Friday article links at HoyaSaxa.com


GUHoyas.com Game Notes


CBS Sportsline Preview


Wash Times (3/30) - Tom Knott: Hibbert facing sizable battle


Wash Times (3/30) - Bob Cohn: Princeton paranoia

"You can see the fundamentals, the shell, the setup," said Scrabis, who despite his outstanding career might be best known for having his shot blocked by Alonzo Mourning in the final seconds to help preserve a 50-49 Georgetown victory over Princeton in the 1989 NCAA tournament, preventing a No. 1 seed from losing to a No. 16 seed for the first and only time.

"They're doing things we didn't do because we didn't have the size or the athletic ability, but you can see it's in the mind-set of the players to trust one another, to get everybody involved, to make open shots when you get them," Scrabis said.

Said Levy: "I see it, and I recognize everything they're doing, what Coach Carril referred to how much more effective it can be with better players."

Said Orlandini: "It's all the same principles. I see a lot of the same cuts, a lot of things Carril did. That's funny. A lot of people break my chops, telling me I run the Princeton offense in high school. Now I'm gonna say I run the Georgetown offense. Let's see what they say."

Wash Times (3/30) - Tim Lemke: Fans scramble for tickets to Final Four
...shout out to several HoyaTalk posters, named and unnamed, in this one.


Wash Post (3/30) - Camille Powell: The Calm in the Hoyas' Storm


Wash Post (3/30) - Michael Wilbon: A coach, not a crusader


DC Sportsbog (3/30) - Dan Steinberg: Why I Like Georgetown, Part I: Jeff Green's Mom


DC Sportsbog (3/30) - Dan Steinberg: Why I Like Georgetown, Part II: The Hoyas' Bard
...shout out to Nodak89


Tiger Saxa


Wash Times (3/29) - Barker Davis: Summers solstice


Wash Times (3/29) - Jon Siegel: Hoyas' final stop


Wash Post (3/29) - Adam Kilgore: Final Four buildup centers on big men


Wash Post: video interviews with Coach Thompson and players (3/28)


Wash Times (3/28) - Barker Davis: Thompson awaits raise


Wash Post (3/28) - Camille Powell: The Hoyas' Working Partnership
Sapp, Wallace Are Quietly Effective


Wash Post: Video of Hoyas' arrival back on Campus from Regionals


THE HOYA

McGee: Hoyas Defeat UNC, Advance to First Final Four Since 1985

McGee: Georgetown's Unsung Backcourt Heroes Are Key

Goode: Winners Stay On: GU Wants to Keep On Playing

Roach: Forget the Past Tense, Glory Days are Today

Leader: All-American Teams Raise Questions




USA Today: Hoyas' voice still has last word after 33 years


Wash Times (3/27) - Barker Davis: Hoyas 'reborn' under coach
...includes photo gallery from the regionals that includes this great shot of PEJr.


Wash Times (3/27) - Patrick Stevens: Centers of attention


Wash Times (3/27) - Jon Siegel: Hoyas lauded in return to Hilltop


Wash Post (3/27) - Camille Powell: Hoyas Soak It All In, Now Go Back to Grind


Wash Post (3/27) - Thomas Boswell: No room for comparison

[FewFAC]

If we just crash the defensive glass, preventing second chance shots, Ohio State has proven via the Big Ten that they will run extremely long offensive sets which do not result in points because of their inability to get offensive rebounds.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

If we can contain Oden and limit his put backs while playing strong perimeter defense then we stand a strong chance of winning. JIII has alread out-coached Matta once - I'm confident he can do it again.

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Pomeroy has the game as a pick'em (Ohio State's pomeroy rating is .9805, and the Hoyas' is .9804).

Sagarin has the Hoyas by one in his predictor rating.

[wildhoya]

Boswell

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032602152.html

'Instead of gathering credit to themselves, Thompson and his players deflect credit to the patriarchs, especially Big John. Of course, that's not by accident. Nothing in the Georgetown program ever is. Letting the Hall of Fame father do lots of the talking is just more world-wary Hoya strategy. The less known the savvy son and his coaching tactics are, the less vulnerable he is. So, Big John lurks near his son's interviews. He ought to hold a sign: "Ignore my son. He's boring. Good quotes here."

The more J.T. III stays off the radar screen and the more Big John hogs the mike, the more serious we know Georgetown is about its chances in Atlanta. '

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

forums.bucknuts.com/showthread.php?t=4856

Here's what Ohio State fans think of us (refuse to use the "the" that is dumb - and an article adjective should only be used when its referant is a vague or confusing noun - poor gramatical form OSU ...). I think that we have the answers in this game - they like to slash to the hole and don't shoot well from outside (i.e. they play in the Big 10) - perfect candidate for the amoeba zone that UNC couldn't figure out. They also don't play well against Princeton style teams (they struggled against Northwestern) and if they want to run on us they are going to gas Greg Oden in transition - honestly its often like a defensive power play when Oden gets tired - he just stays on the other side of the three point line and huffs while the rest of his team executes their short-handed sets.

[HoyaTejano]

I think Roy and Oden are going to be AT WAR immediately upon tipoff. Both are going to try to send a message to each other. This is old-school hoops -- big men trying to enforce their will on the direction of the game.

The differential has to be Jeff Green. It is the one position where Georgetown has absolute advantage.

[NickSixers]

If we slow Conley and Lewis doesn't hit many shots, I'll feel pretty good.
I'll be at the practice. Hopefully I'll see some other HTers there.

[JPM32]

Hoyas line opened at +1 and is now -1.

This generally means that a large amount of "smart" money came in on Georgetown soon after the line was posted.

Good sign.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/bigten/2007-03-02-osu-oden-future_N.htm

Oden is so smart - listen to him describe the tough courses he's taking. Gald we don't have 1 and dones at GU.

[manilahoyafan]

Let's stop pretending; no need to be polite.

We're going all the way.

Destiny.

[nostradamus]

I legend ahead that University of Hoyas defeats the Ohio Tree Nuts defeats the this Saturday night, in order to advance to the large major play. The entire focus on this play is the same above between the large men of Mr. Hibbert and of Mr. Oden. Certainly this same one is important above and it is critical for Mr. Hibbert of remaining from against the rules trouble.

But if one soils, expenditure not to be, I believes that the large men cancel themselves out. The difference is then in the supporting category. Mr. Wallace and Mr. Sapp must continue to educate influential persons. The strength of our front court should permit more opened periphery shots. The four threats, which we have over from the elbow outside and our cutting ability is for the Tree Nuts to contain too much. That is, why the Hoyas is victoriously and play for the national championship on Monday night.

[FrazierFanatic]

nostradamus said:

I legend ahead that University of Hoyas defeats the Ohio Tree Nuts defeats the this Saturday night, in order to advance to the large major play. The entire focus on this play is the same above between the large men of Mr. Hibbert and of Mr. Oden. Certainly this same one is important above and it is critical for Mr. Hibbert of remaining from against the rules trouble.

But if one soils, expenditure not to be, I believes that the large men cancel themselves out. The difference is then in the supporting category. Mr. Wallace and Mr. Sapp must continue to educate influential persons. The strength of our front court should permit more opened periphery shots. The four threats, which we have over from the elbow outside and our cutting ability is for the Tree Nuts to contain too much. That is, why the Hoyas is victoriously and play for the national championship on Monday night.

You tell it, Nostra my man!

[Hoya06]

www.blackathlete.net/artman/publish/article_03095.shtml


"We have all sat on our couches and screamed toward the television to keep "throwing the ball inside" during a basketball game or keep "running the ball" during a football game despite our team trailing by a few points.

Down 10 points with six minutes to play the Hoyas could have gone to the air and started bombing three-point shots. Instead lets just say they kept the ball on the ground and made Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert look like Clock Killin' Corey Dillon."

[wildhoya]

Quote from Barker's article:

The elder Thompson understands the magnitude of his son's accomplishment. Amid the din at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey on Sunday, John Thompson Jr. marveled at the moment.

"It makes me extremely proud, because that's my child out there -- first and foremost -- and watching him be extremely successful at any endeavor would be very gratifying," he said. "The fact that it's in this profession, which I frankly told him to stay away from, and at a place which is special to me, is almost overwhelming."

[hoyaLS05]

THE HOYA

McGee: Hoyas Defeat UNC, Advance to First Final Four Since 1985

McGee: Georgetown's Unsung Backcourt Heroes Are Key

Goode: Winners Stay On: GU Wants to Keep On Playing

Roach: Forget the Past Tense, Glory Days are Today

Leader: All-American Teams Raise Questions

[vcjack]

Interesting statistic, the Big East is undefeated in Semifinal games except when playing another Big East school (Georgetown vs St. Johns and Providence vs Syracuse)

[lichoya68]

ok in this one we need to score 69 or more to win thats it gohoyas hustle rebound a few threes roy and jeff be aggressive thats the years formula beat ohio state and EAT THE BANANNA

[DrumsGoBang]

That Ohio State board seems really slow. Isn't everyone in the State a buckeyes fan? Is there another board out there or are they so much a Football school that they don't care about this final four?

[RDF]

Ohio State is a fantastic team. Mike Conley is best guard we'll have faced all year--he combines the best game we saw from Tory Jackson with Lawson's speed and I can't remember a time I've seen a FR PG finish with either hand as well as Conley. Everyone knows about Oden--but what will be interesting is seeing him play against someone bigger then he is--Big 10 big people are perimeter oriented offensively and when they would bang him--they'd often be overly physical with him which seemed to tick him off--Roy is so massive it'll be a fascinating matchup to watch.

The keys to Ohio State team in my opinion--living in Big 10 country and seeing them a great deal---they have Ron Lewis playing with his hair on fire--he's been their MVP if you ask me--not just in the NCAA's but all year--he's truly a fantastic player and fearless shooter, but much like last year--when Foster was not hitting his outside shot--he was slumping heading into our 2nd round matchup--Daquan Cook hasn't been hitting his shots from outside either--if we can keep that up--that could be huge--as I view Cook/Butler to be keys against Hoyas--the difference that will help OSU even more then obvious (Conley/Oden) is that Othello Hunter is a live body who has decent shot from baseline and is a good defender and we'll see him a lot because they need his size/athleticism to help defend Hoyas. Matt Terwilliger has provided solid minutes for them too and Dave Lighty has had a great NCAA for the Buckeyes.

It'll be a great game--and just hoping that like what I saw in Florida game--our size upfront/athleticism across board of guys like Dajuan, Pat, Jeff, can wear them down--I don't expect a blowout but Horford, Noah, Richard, Brewer just wore Ohio State down. One other thing I've noticed--despite Oden's advantage athleticially over Roy--he gets tired very quickly, so we could get some cheap hoops/draw some fouls on him when he's tired.

This is what Final Four is all about--and if GU is to win it, I've felt they'd have to go through three #1 seeds and defending champs to do so--what better task in front of you? Going to be a fun game and just great to be playing on best stage there is in Basketball--the FINAL FOUR!!!