Game breakdown
At first glance » After a tumultuous start to the year, Ohio found its stride and was rolling well before it won four straight to claim the Mid-American Conference title. The Bobcats have some nice pieces — watch for D.J. Cooper to get free when attention is turned on Armon Bassett — and decent size on the glass.
On second thought » Despite losing in the Big East final, Georgetown is playing its best basketball of the year with aggressive man-to-man defense and smart, disciplined execution on offense (shooting 49.8 percent). Those attributes will be exceedingly difficult for the Bobcats to overcome on short notice.
Key players
Armon Bassett, G, Ohio
Overshadowed while he was at Indiana by other Hoosier State products Dominic James, Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Bassett has resurrected his career in the Buckeye State. “He’s as good as any other Big East guard there is, so we just got to try to contain him and force him into tough shots,” Georgetown guard Chris Wright said.
Austin Freeman, G, Georgetown
He hasn’t been limited since he returned to the court after being diagnosed with diabetes, but Freeman, the Hoyas’ leading scorer, missed his first nine 3-point attempts over four games at the Big East Tournament before hitting two of his last three in the championship. “Coach says I got to just keep shooting,” Freeman said.
You heard it
“Ohio might remind Georgetown of Old Dominion, and they might be even more skilled at the guard position.”
— Crossland High coach Taft Hickman, who coached DeVaughn Washington at Kempsville High (Va.).
