COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -Evan Turner sat down and, just like a lot of kids would if given the chance to play with a live microphone, began to make a rhythm sound with his mouth while pretending he was performing in concert.
“This is a March Madness piece,” he said, laughing.
Teammate David Lighty scoffed at the impromptu – and off-key – rendition: “His beat was terrible.”
That’s how No. 5 Ohio State began a news conference on Wednesday about all the pressures and hype surrounding the NCAA tournament and the Buckeyes’ first-round date with UC Santa Barbara in Milwaukee at 9:30 on Friday night.
For the record, the Buckeyes appear to be anything but uptight and nervous.
They addressed several serious topics with the silliness expected of underclassmen who are now officially on spring break.
At the same time, they spoke like old hands about this NCAA stuff.
xperienced team,” guard Jon Diebler said. “Coach (Thad Matta) always says, ‘Act like you’ve been there.’ Well, we have been there. We haven’t won a tournament game yet, but we know what to expect now.”
These are good days to be a Buckeye. Second-seeded Ohio State (27-7) has won 15 of its last 17 games, including the last seven, following up a share of the Big Ten title by winning the conference tournament with two dramatic victories and then a blowout in the finals over Minnesota.
Turner, the top player in the conference and a favorite to be the national player of the year, is on one of Sports Illustrated’s regional covers this week. He even had his name dropped by a particularly big college basketball fan.
“It is good to be here in the Buckeye State. Congratulations on winning the Big Ten championship,” President Barack Obama said before a speech on health care on Monday in Strongsville, Ohio. “Yes, that kid Turner looks pretty good. You guys are doing all right.”
Turner, averaging 20.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6 assists a game, was humbled by the mention.
“That was pretty nice of him. That was really cool. He didn’t have to say that,” he said. “That’s something that I have to go back and think about it later.”
One reason the Buckeyes feel especially good about themselves and their NCAA chances is a year-old disappointment. Four starters are juniors, and they missed the biggest tournament two years ago (although they did go on to win the NIT). So when they made the NCAA field a year ago, it was a new experience.
It didn’t last long. Seeded eighth, they fell to ninth-seeded Siena 74-72 in double-overtime in the first round, blowing a 14-point second-half lead.
“We were kind of happy that we made it last year,” said Lighty, unable to play in that game after missing most of the season with a broken bone in his foot. “We were just so excited about finally getting to the tournament. Now that we’re there (again) we know what it takes to win a game in the tournament, just from the experience. That, our play right now, and our mindset will probably be the biggest things that will give us an advantage.”
The loss to Siena taught the current Buckeyes several important lessons.
“Every team’s good. Just because you have ‘Ohio State’ across your chest doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to win. Also, you can’t relax against any team,” said Diebler, the Buckeyes’ 3-point-shooting specialist. “Now you lose and you’re done. And I know a lot of us don’t want to be done. We’re still hoping to spend our spring break here, practicing every day.”
Seven of the Buckeyes are recovering from a strain of the flu that spread through the team the past couple of days. But Matta said everyone is healthy and will be fine with another night’s rest.
ck in the same regional as top-ranked Kansas, the tournament favorite. But Matta made it clear that he’s far more concerned with just winning the three games it would take to get to a potential showdown with the Jayhawks.
“I’ll give you a great answer (if we end up) playing Kansas, how unfair I think it is,” he said with a laugh. “But I’d just like to get there.”
Ohio State’s omnipresent fans are expected to flood Milwaukee for the game, just a few hours’ drive away. Turner, a Chicago native, expected around 30 relatives and friends to make the short drive.
“My family usually travels in a pack,” he said with a smile.
As appealing as it is to the Buckeyes to be playing relatively close to home, Matta said he’d prefer to be playing in an easier bracket farther away.
“Absolutely. Give me easy,” he cracked. “I’m an American, man. Give me the easy way.”
Despite all the good feelings surrounding the Buckeyes, not everyone thinks they’ll go deep in the tournament.
After all, the First Fan mentioned Turner, but he picked Kansas to win the title.
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