Memphis' Dorsey wrote this for Ohio State's bulletin board
SAN ANTONIO -- How well does Greg Oden play when he's pissed off? If Oden reads what you're about to read, we'll find out Saturday when Ohio State plays Memphis for the South Regional championship.
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| Joey Dorsey thinks he's underrated and Greg Oden's overrated. (Getty Images) |
Dorsey's verbal barrage came too late for a response from Oden, since the Buckeyes met the media first, but OSU officials were working the media room for Dorsey's quotes. Elsewhere in the Alamodome, Memphis coach John Calipari was doing damage control.
"Joey called him out? What did he say?" Calipari said. "He wasn't calling him out. I think (Dorsey) knows he's about to play the best big man in the country, and he's excited about the challenge. If he said it any other way, that's not how he meant it."
Could be. Tell you what: I'll put you in the room with Dorsey when he said what he said. It was one of those individual breakout rooms the NCAA gives starters. You decide what he meant when he responded to a question -- mine -- about Oden. To absolve myself of guilt, here is exactly what I said to trigger Dorsey's stream of unconsciousness:
"Joey, do you think you could make yourself some money tomorrow night? At some point you'll be in the NBA Draft, and scouts will study how you played against Oden."
That was me.
Here was Dorsey's response:
"Oh yeah," he said. "I think (scouts) really will be watching this game tomorrow night because it's two great big men going up against each other. I'm an underrated big man and he's a lot overrated as a big man."
Another reporter: Did you just say Greg Oden is overrated? And if so, why?
"I outrebounded him on the season," Dorsey said. "I'm the No. 6 rebounder in the nation, and I'm trying to move up to No. 1 after this game."
First of all, Dorsey's incorrect. He isn't sixth. He's 16th, at 9.7 rebounds per game -- two spots behind Oden, 14th at 9.8. Technically Dorsey is fifth nationally in total rebounds with 340, but Memphis has played more games than almost anyone.
Now then. Back to Dorsey's desire for rebounds ...
