PROVIDENCE, R.I. – As you can see, I’ve previewed the Georgetown-Ohio game tomorrow, and the chats with the principles today haven’t done anything to change those thoughts. If there’s anything, it’s that I haven’t talked enough about D.J. Cooper. His backcourt pairing with Armon Bassett is key.
“Obviously, both [Cooper] and Armon have a lot of – one of the things that I think they both do good is they have a lot of swagger,” said Ohio head coach John Groce. “D.J. has played in big games before. And I’ve not necessarily given him any special attention or extra instructions. We’ve talked briefly but one of the things I’ve tried to do this week is stay routine as possible.”
Here’s a hint of Cooper’s confidence. He and Bassett were asked together about who takes the last shot for the Bobcats right now. Cooper answered first:
“Armon, he’s got the experience. It’s not who’s better than who, it’s about the team right now. And he’s been hot the last six games, so why not let him take the last shot.”
Bassett didn’t react like it was a swipe, and maybe it wasn’t — but it’s still swagger. But he’s also fresh-faced, and behind the table on the raised stage for the press conference, he barely looked old enough to drive. (He’s 19.) Bassett, with a couple years of NCAA Tournament experience already, had more perspective, but then again, he’s 23.
“The fans in the community supporting us, just from where we came from – we was 9-9 at one point – and just I don’t know how to find the right words for it. But this group of guys just managed to rally, and we got hot at the end of the season, and we never stopped believing in ourselves. That’s why we’re here now.”
Ohio senior big man Kenneth van Kempen – they call him, “KVK” – used the word “complete” about 12 times to describe Greg Monroe.
Groce, who was an assistant for Ohio State when the Buckeyes faced the Hoyas in the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Tournaments, complimented John Thompson III for putting his players in a position of strength.
“That stood out to me when I think about watching the film back in ’06 and ’07, compared to now. He’s certainly made some adaptations that really fit his personnel and make them difficult to defend.”
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