PROVIDENCE, R.I.--For a few days now, we have talked about how Ohio will match up against different teams. Namely, the discussion was about Georgetown and how the Hoyas' size and athleticism would basically make the Bobcats an afterthought.
As of today, the only thought is about the present.
Bruce Pearl and his Volunteers visibly and admittedly had trouble with San Diego State Thursday at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. As things have unfolded early in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, a lot of teams would have trouble tying their shoes.
Or, as is custom in this state, have trouble giving directions anywhere. Do any Rhode Islanders know their way around this state? I mean, come on, this isn't exactly the LA expressway.
I digress.
No lead has been safe and no number next to a team's name has ever meant so little. David vs. Goliath, McDonald's vs. Long John Silver's, you name it. As cliche and trite as it sounds, on any given time slot at this tournament, you always get the feeling that the game won't be a shellacking.
We thought that until we watched some games from the Providence suburbs. Though the bulk of early games have been close, there has been a smattering of comfortable victories--but the water cooler talk still surrounds the upsets, and the Ohio Bobcats are the center of attention. How many Bobcat fans thought they would ever hear that phrase this week? Don't be afraid to show your hands, because likely not one of you would have courageously held it up. We didn't.
The Volunteers are faster, more aggressive and better coached (we think) than Georgetown. As Vince and I discussed on our late Friday/early Saturday Post podcast, the intriguing prospect of this game is how Ohio coach John Groce makes in-game adjustments. Because the Bobcats were on fire and lights-out from basically every spot on the floor, Groce just had to reiterate to his players to stick with what they were doing. The players and Groce said as much after the game: they knew that as long as they did what they knew they were good at, the results would be in their favor.
As a result, Ohio's up-tempo and at times reckless brand of basketball gave the Hoyas fits, and put John Thompson III in a state of flux.
Side dishes from what they call The Renaissance City ....
--This afternoon, we decided to take a tour of the Rhode Island area and places that we collectively agreed we might never visit again. That's not to say we don't like the place (we're actually more than enjoying ourselves) but 13 hours and a lot of gas money doesn't tickle the fancy of college kids these days. We drove everywhere, and based on the size of this mammoth state, were surprised that during our trek we never once ventured outside the Rhode Island border. To me, that was the OMG moment of the day.
--From New Englanders, the consensus is in: give the region an enormous pencil eraser so they can take care of New Jersey.
--Friday was a day of firsts for me and a couple of our Post compadres in Providence: Vince and I never thought we would a) still be here, nor b) that we would be talking about planning a subsequent trip to St. Louis should the Bobcats defeat Tennessee. Also, neither of us had ever seen mall cops
and there were a boatload of them patrolling the nearby Warwick Mall.
--Picasso's Pizza in downtown Warwick (just outside Providence) is phenomenal. Where else can you get a drink, onion rings and a large pepperoni pizza for $15? I've never heard of it until today. Previously, I thought the address was dream world.
--Win or lose for the Bobcats against the Vols, our director of photography Kyle Grantham has promised me a trip and stay in downtown Baltimore, the lovely place he calls home. As stated before, I don't judge places based on their appearance after dark. For that, he's lucky and I'm giving it a second chance on the return to Ohio. Crab cakes or bust, baby.
Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery will again have the call for CBS approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Villanova-St. Mary's this afternoon. We will be updating live as usual; per NCAA rules we cannot live blog as usual so you'll be best served to follow our Twitter feeds listed on The Post's NCAA section. 22
NCAA 2010
Rob Mixer
Rob Mixer blogs from Providence and the 2010 NCAA Tournament, where Ohio has advanced to the second round
