Thanks to team of destiny, check out big brain on, well, me
SAN ANTONIO -- Ohio State is going to win the national championship.
Good thing for my brackets, I knew it all along.
As the only CBS SportsLine expert to predict the Buckeyes cutting down the nets in Atlanta, it didn't surprise me one bit to see Ohio State stop Memphis 92-76 and become the first team to guarantee its presence in the Final Four. From South Regional to the Dirty South.
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| You're off the hook for now, Ron Lewis, but we'll revisit the destiny question in Atlanta. (AP) |
I'll take my team of destiny over his team of destiny.
Xavier had Ohio State eliminated, but Ron Lewis wouldn't let it happen. Tennessee led by 17 at the break, and the Buckeyes managed to rally.
After Thursday night's rousing comeback over the Volunteers, I asked Lewis about being a team of destiny. The senior chuckled at the thought, knowing it was a definite possibility, but his cautious response was "not yet."
He is Mr. Destiny, though. His whole career is defined by it. He ended up at Bowling Green because Columbus' Brookhaven High needed him to come off the bench his senior year, and he believes bigger schools shied away. He got a state title out of it, so he says there are no regrets.
Yeah, now.
Lewis ultimately made it to Ohio State, transferring in because playing for anyone else just felt wrong. Thad Matta had a place for him. The rest is history, much of it still waiting to be made.
When you get to this point in the tournament, where all of the survivors are elite, you have to look for what sets teams apart. Florida backers will say championship experience will make the difference, and while that's valid, how often do teams repeat?
My difference is that Ohio State has players like Lewis, who make a living out of game-winning plays. Their jobs are made easier by the type of impact performer college basketball hasn't seen since Tim Duncan.
When the referees aren't whistling ridiculous ticky-tack fouls on Greg Oden -- and let's hope those same mistakes aren't made in Atlanta -- he makes it seem like the Buckeyes are out there playing six-on-five.
