Reality Check

BIG DANCE

Am I surprised Ohio State was left out of the NCAA Tournament? Hardly. Admittedly, I witnessed only one Buckeye game in person this season, that being a 59-53 home court loss to Indiana. The Bucks, in my opinion, simply didn't resemble a ballclub ready for prime time i.e. NCAA tourney. It is through no fault of Thad Matta who lost the servives of one-year rent-a-players Greg Oden and Mike Conley. Granted, Matta brought in a quality recruiting class, though not one capable of taking that huge next step so early in their careers. Frankly, the NIT is a good choice for Ohio State. Perhaps, the Buckeyes can win two or three early games and , like West Virginia last season, advance to the Big Apple for the semifinals. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, are worthy entrants into the madness but face a formidable first round opponent in Arizona's Wildcats. A blue collar bunch to be sure, WVU usually finds a way to compete for 40 minutes, thus I like their chances to survive their opening round test. In all likelihood. Duke's Blue Devils would be West Virginia's second round opponent. Should that materialize, don't immediately discount WVU's chances. They've gone toe-to-toe with the best the Big East had to offer this season and on a given night, I firmly believe the Mounties could take down the Dukies. Stay tuned.