Foul officiating robs us of chance to see real Oden, Hibbert

Imagine if they'd been able to play all game. And play with confidence.

Here's where you come to the officials' aid. You're going to tell me officials are supposed to set the tone in the opening minutes. Let any player get too physical, especially ones as big as Oden and Hibbert, and the action will become brutal. Oden fouled early. Hibbert fouled early. What are the referees to do -- ignore those early fouls?

Not a bad point. Pat yourself on the back. Now then, allow me to address your question:

What are the referees to do -- ignore those early fouls?

Absolutely.

My argument is so solid, I'll give the officials the benefit of the doubt on one point: They were fouls. All of them. Hibbert's attempted block of Oden's first shot with 19:42 left in the half ... Oden's illegal screen ... Oden's charge. O.J. Simpson didn't receive that much benefit of the doubt, but I'm giving it to the officials anyway. Fine. Those were fouls.

Let them go anyway. Especially that early in the game.

This isn't a November tournament in Puerto Rico. This is the Final Four, for God's sake. Allow the players to burn a little early fuel. Let them be nervous for a few minutes, as the officials in the second semifinal did when penetrating Florida forward Corey Brewer slammed into UCLA's Lorenzo Mata on the Gators' first possession, when the refs let it go. Good for those officials. Early in a game this big, let the players be rambunctious. Let them touch somebody without being called for it.

Especially these two players.

This isn't about the hype, although let's acknowledge that the hype was huge. The country was excited about this game for one reason: the battle of 7-foot centers. The Final Four hadn't seen a big-man battle as promising as this one in more than 20 years. Ohio State is OK without Greg Oden -- beating Xavier in overtime in the second round is an example -- but the point remains that Ohio State isn't Ohio State without Greg Oden. Same goes for Georgetown without Hibbert. Both teams revolve around their sun gods.

So in this specific game, with these specific players, the officials owed it absolutely to both teams -- and obliquely to me and you and everyone excited to watch -- to make sure Oden and Hibbert were given the chance to compete.

Saturday they had no chance. Ohio State moved on anyway because point guard Michael Conley Jr. is this season's version of Joakim Noah circa 2006, which is to say the most dominant player in the country despite being left off every major All-America team. Conley had 15 points and six assists, which in a low-scoring game like this one is the equivalent of 20 and 10. Even with Oden reduced to part-time work, Daequan Cook turning his seven first-half minutes into an atrocious NBA audition and regional hero Ron Lewis going 1-for-8 from the floor, Ohio State controlled the game. Conley is that good.

But is Ohio State that good compared to Georgetown? Who knows? On a day that officials limited both centers significantly in minutes and limited them totally in tenacity, I know Ohio State was seven points better than Georgetown.

But I'd love to see these teams do it again.

With another set of referees.