OSU takes to road

Photo by: Amy Sancetta

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Ohio State's Dallas Lauderdale dunks against George Mason in the first half of an East regional NCAA college basketball tournament third-round game Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Cleveland.

Buckeyes’ comfort won’t be same in N.J.

By Bill Rabinowitz

The Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS

This past weekend was akin to a going-away party for the Ohio State men’s basketball team.

The Buckeyes got to play in their home state. A scarlet-and-gray crowd transformed Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland into Value City Arena North.

“Unbelievable,” senior Jon Diebler said of the home-court advantage OSU felt. “I wish we could play every [NCAA] game up here with the crowd we got. It helped us a lot.”

So did the opponents. Texas-San Antonio was just happy to be fodder for the Buckeyes. George Mason was unintimidated but outclassed by a hot-shooting, slick-passing Buckeyes team.

Now, in some ways, the NCAA tournament really begins for Ohio State. Gone will be the quasi-home court when the Buckeyes head to Newark, N.J., for Friday’s East Regional semifinal.

Gone will be the non-marquee opponents.

Ohio State’s opponent Friday night is Kentucky, as much a blue blood in college basketball as the Buckeyes are in football.

The Wildcats’ fans are just as rabid — at least — as Ohio State’s in football. Expect to see more blue than scarlet and gray in the Prudential Center.

If Ohio State wins, it’ll play Sunday against the winner of the North Carolina-Marquette game.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Ohio State senior Dallas Lauderdale said.

Ohio State’s tournament journey a year ago ended in a regional semifinal. Tennessee beat Ohio State in what was regarded as a mild upset. Lauderdale said the Buckeyes are approaching it differently this year.

“I think last year’s mindset was that we were excited to be there,”

Lauderdale said. “This time we’re on a mission. The Sweet 16 is just a step on our mission.”

Coach Thad Matta wasn’t ready to begin dissecting the Kentucky matchup in Sunday’s postgame news conference.

“After a [victorious] game, I want to enjoy it because they’re hard to come by,” he said. “We know we play Kentucky next and with [Marquette] and North Carolina, the way they’re playing right now, that’s going to be a very, very challenging region.”

Fourth-seeded Kentucky (25-8) had to reload after losing a star-studded freshman class a year ago headed by No. 1 NBA draft pick John Wall.

John Calipari’s Wildcats are again led by a talented freshman class, though one not quite as spectacular.

Brandon Knight (17.4 points per game) has stepped in for Wall at point guard and played superbly. He scored 30 points in a comeback victory over West Virginia on Saturday.

Doron Lamb (a 46.9 percent 3-point shooter) and Terrence Jones (8.7 rebounds per game) are Kentucky’s other two freshman starters.

Junior Darius Miller gives the Wildcats another dangerous three-point shooter (44.6 percent).

Much-improved senior Josh Harrellson was second in the Southeastern Conference in rebounding (8.8 per game).

Kentucky may be the one team in the tournament with a depth disadvantage with Ohio State. DeAndre Liggins is the only one to play significant minutes off the bench.

“We haven’t seen much of them this year, probably only in the regular season when they’ve been on TV,” Diebler said. “They have a lot of great players, a great history.”

Ohio State is 9-10 all-time against Kentucky. The teams haven’t played since 1998.