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DEL.ICIO.USNo trash talking from OSU
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, the first round of the NCAA Championship pregame press conferences is in. Ohio State was first up on the podium and the Buckeyes offered up almost no trash talk.
Sigh.
We say “almost no” because Ron Lewis came as close as anybody. Clearly, it took a great deal of restraint for the senior guard not to come with more than he did.
Lewis’ trash talk came in the form of calling the Florida team they’ll face in tomorrow night’s championship “good.” This was in contrast to coach Thad Matta and teammates Mike Conley Jr., Ivan Harris and Jamar Butler, who all used some derivation of “great” or “excellent” or “special” or “tremendous.”
And then there was Greg Oden, who said very little about anything.
It was really just a passing reference that likely would have gone unnoticed if not for one alert — or should we say desperate — reporter in the front of the room who noticed Lewis’ disparate response and fixated on it.
Following is an excerpt of the reporter’s exchange with Lewis:
Reporter: “Do you have a different standard of greatness? What do you think makes a team a great team? Is Ohio State a great team?
Lewis: “I think [Ohio State is great] because we got to this point. [Florida is] a good team to me. That’s all I can say about it.”
The press conference drifted a different direction momentarily before the microphone returned to our antagonist.
Reporter: “Ron, why are they only good and do you think they could be great?”
Lewis: “They’re a good team. I go bad team, middle team and then a good team. That’s the top. If you want a great team, look at the Chicago Bulls.”
Hey, it was as close to controversy as you could get here at the Georgia Dome on Sunday. Of course, it’s kind of hard to toss barbs at an opponent that beat you by 26 points three months ago.
That was the prevailing theme for the Buckeyes presser. What makes you think you can beat now a team that beat you 86-60 on Dec. 23 in Gainesville, Florida?
Said Matta: “I think that game taught us a lot about who we are. We were not a very good basketball team on December 23, and quite honestly Florida had a lot to do with that… . I thought it taught us a lot about our strength and weaknesses and gave us a point of reference to what we needed to work on to get better as a team.”
That, and there was that little thing about Oden’s broken right hand. He played left-handed. Now both hands work.
Matta said he is looking forward to seeing how his team does against Florida on a neutral floor with a completely healthy team.
“I don’t want to say that I circled Florida and I said, ‘I want them again.’ You get beat by 26, you really don’t want to see that team for a while. But I DO think I wanted to be in this position and was a realist that there was a really, really good chance that Florida could be the team on the opposite side. So be it.”
So it be. Do the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes, five-point underdogs at last check, have a chance?
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Comments
By Galator
April 1, 2007 2:54 PM | Link to this
Final score prediction.. 42-14 UF after OSU scores the first 7 pts.
By BadgerDawg
April 1, 2007 3:20 PM | Link to this
Bucs send Donovan and the entire team in other directions with a loss. Math equation to remember:
Oden > Noah + Hortford
By Gatorade
April 1, 2007 3:43 PM | Link to this
A more accurate equation:
Noah + Horford > Georgia’s Team
By The Reaper
April 1, 2007 3:45 PM | Link to this
One can only hope that the entire Georgia dome roof will collapse on top of the floor in the middle of the game. The world would be a much better place for it.
By Noah looks like a caveman
April 1, 2007 3:48 PM | Link to this
Noah is one hideously ugly dude. He looks like one of the Geico cavemen. He also has the brains to match his prehistoric look.
So easy, even Joakim Noah can do it.
By Mike Vick
April 1, 2007 3:53 PM | Link to this
Yo, where my weed be at man? Someone get Marcus on da phone. I need my ganja.
By Mike
April 1, 2007 4:06 PM | Link to this
Its going to be interesting to see what a healthy Oden and company can do against UF. Honestly though, I would put my money on the Gators.
By myself
April 1, 2007 4:36 PM | Link to this
OSU two best players are freshmen. How can they match these Five ?
By pacmanjones
April 1, 2007 4:38 PM | Link to this
** yo! man if dem gatores dont mess dem b-eyes, i gonna f this place up wid my possie.
By javin
April 1, 2007 4:52 PM | Link to this
that’s good
By Nunna yo Biznezz
April 1, 2007 4:58 PM | Link to this
Look for Florida to beat the breaks off of OSU..
And I held it back as long as i could..The 2nd coming of Magic with kenny andersons court awareness and Birds smarts is playing for Woodward Academy.. A 10th grader all of 5-7 and growing..My cuzz is at a north ga private hs,and we watched this dude..He is awesome..don’t know his name but he is awesome..
By Nunna yo Biznezz
April 1, 2007 4:58 PM | Link to this
Look for Florida to beat the breaks off of OSU..
And I held it back as long as i could..The 2nd coming of Magic with kenny andersons court awareness and Birds smarts is playing for Woodward Academy.. A 10th grader all of 5-7 and growing..My cuzz is at a north ga private hs,and we watched this dude..He is awesome..don’t know his name but he is awesome..
By Mike Vick
April 1, 2007 5:01 PM | Link to this
Yo you crackas, where da f#ck my weed be at? What you crackas do wit it? You cracka suckas be tryin to frame me again or sumtin? Once I find my dope I’m goin to mess you crackas up for tryin’ to bring me down again!
By Mike Vick
April 1, 2007 5:08 PM | Link to this
I checked my water bottle, and the only thing in there is my blow. Mike Vick needs his weed or he’s gunna mess some people up!
By Mike Vick
April 1, 2007 5:24 PM | Link to this
aight, it be all good now. You cracka a* crackas is off the hook. I’ze finally found my weed. My blunt be behind my ear the entire time. Time to go get high and then give one of my hood ratt ho’s some of my herpes.
By Cracka
April 1, 2007 5:28 PM | Link to this
Who gives a crap about jungle ball? Where’s Al-Queda at when you need them?
By B-Bro
April 1, 2007 5:38 PM | Link to this
Gators by 7 Ohio makes a good game of it though…Go Gators…we love you man….
By Fidel Castro
April 1, 2007 5:46 PM | Link to this
I love that Noah kid and the Gators. Noah and I share a lot of the same views.
Go Gators!
By Gay Gator
April 1, 2007 5:54 PM | Link to this
The humphrey kid is so sexy. I’d like to toss his salad and have him abuse me all night long!
mmmmmmmmmmmm….
Yummy!
By Gay Gator
April 1, 2007 5:56 PM | Link to this
I’d love to be the meat in a Noah/Oden sandwich. They can probe me all night long!
Mmmmmmmmmmm…..
Yummy!
By Gay Gator
April 1, 2007 6:01 PM | Link to this
Isn’t that Tim Tebow sexy? He pounded me so good one night he left bruises. Best night of my life so far.
He’s yummy!
By University of Gay Athletes
April 1, 2007 7:42 PM | Link to this
Let’s see…
UF just swept THE DAWGSSS in baseball this weekend.
They beat their a* 3 times in basketball this year. And are nearly back-to-back champs in it.
They took them out in football last year on the way to the TITLE.
So in summation… UGA gets bent over and pwned at all by UF.
By Gay Gator
April 1, 2007 7:47 PM | Link to this
OH BOY! Would you bend me over and do that to me big guy! You sound like you are good at it! I love it even more when it’s one of my fellow gators doing it. Hurt me real good big boy.
Yummy!
By UFRules
April 1, 2007 8:05 PM | Link to this
Another buckeye, more disrespect for UF. Tomorrow night, UF wins another title (I’ve lost count how many major titles they have now).
By GatorHater
April 1, 2007 9:00 PM | Link to this
Wouldn’t it be nice to have Florida’s team bus fall off a bridge? Could we ever get that lucky? Perhaps Noah could be sitting in the front row.
By DR.
April 1, 2007 10:21 PM | Link to this
Gator Hater and The Reaper, you two individuals need to either sober up or go get some mental help because you are both very sick.