It went to overtime for Xavier and Ohio State. 62-62 and Greg Oden had fouled out of the game. It took a clutch 3 by Ron Lewis with 2 seconds left for Ohio State to send it to OT. Xavier's Justin Cage missed the second of his free throws when he could have won it. He's going to be having nightmares about that for years to come.Mike Conley, Jr. the other highly touted freshman scored the first 7 points in OT for Ohio State, and 11 points in the OT. He had 0 points in the second half. Ohio State won 78-71 as all the tight defense by Xavier and brick shots by Ohio State seemed to disappear in the 5 minutes of OT.
The Musketeers just looked like they gave up. Not like they weren't trying and putting the effort, but the shoulders sagged. They looked like a team still replaying the last 90 seconds of the second half in their heads. Trying to figure out what they could have done to have avoided this. Never fully in the game at that point.
Ohio State has skated on the edge of a couple games this season before finding a way to win. This was an even closer drive to the edge of disaster. Maybe this will be the sort of thing that they needed to get them to focus the rest of the way. That close win that reminds them that no one will be backing down against them.
That or it revealed a very flawed and a team that loses focus way too easily. A team that has avoided a lot of the losses late in the season simply by virtue of being vastly more talented then the opponents. Something that isn't true at this point.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-17-2007 @ 3:49PM
batonball said...
Xavier was robbed! Oden clearly committed more than a "regular foul" toward the end of regulation. Because of his star status the officials did NOT make the correct call. Usually when an opponent flys 6 feet through the air and into the stands that represents a flagrant foul.
Get a spine refs! That call was absurd and cost Xavier the game. Makes me wonder what goes on behind the scenes. Obviously it's all about the money and ratings.
What a shame.........................
Reply
3-17-2007 @ 3:49PM
batonball said...
The officials blew it. Xavier was robbed
Reply
3-17-2007 @ 3:50PM
Naysayer said...
You are so right. THEY BLEW IT! Coach is just as much to blame.
Reply
3-17-2007 @ 3:55PM
Joel said...
Xavier lost because their own coach broke their own winning momentum in the final minutes of regulation by calling two unnecessary timeouts. In the process, he ran out of timeouts especially when he could have used one in the remaining seconds of regulation.
Reply
3-17-2007 @ 5:31PM
Bob Huggins said...
Hey it's great to watch "Zavier" lose again .They actually lost twice today, (1) they lost a game which they choked on by making 1 out of 2 free throws. The shot would of put em up by 4 w/7 secs left. (2) Thad Matta (the X seniors old coach)walked out on them and beat em like a drum today ! Notre Dame getting beat was great ,but this makes my St.Paddy Day.Oh ,by the way X scholars,ya know what they call a good looking
female walking thru your campus? Answer: just a female visitor needing directions.Damn,I miss those
UC dance team members,liked how they lit my cigar.
Reply
3-18-2007 @ 11:08AM
holmes said...
Xavier could have won simply if they fouled Ohio on it's last drive to the basket, thereby giving Ohio 2 free throws (a maximum of two points). With little or no time left, Xavier would have gotten the ball back and the win!
Reply