BATTLE FOR OHIO: Cincinnati and Ohio State, their campuses separated by 103 miles, will face off on a basketball court for just the second time since the Bearcats beat the Buckeyes in the 1961 and ’62 title games. (AP)
Ohio State will face the Bearcats for only the second time in the NCAA Tournament. (Getty Images)
BOSTON — To get to the bottom of the story on everyone’s mind, the good folks here at the TD Garden should have placed a Bible on the podium for yesterday’s NCAA Tournament East Region interview sessions.
The participants, particularly those from Cincinnati and Ohio State, should have been forced to lay their hand on the good book and vow to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the undercurrent of emotion the Bearcats and Buckeyes will feel tonight when they meet in a Sweet and Sour 16 game.
Sure it’s sweet that these are two of 16 teams left playing. And it’s sour because the Buckeyes aren’t man enough to admit they think they’re too good to play Cincinnati during the regular season.
VIDEO: COACH, PLAYER REACTIONS
And Cincinnati is coming up small by going with the “It’s Just Another Game” refrain instead of the “We’re Going to Make That Big State School Feel Like a Community College” smack talk.
Despite the rich basketball traditions at both schools, the Buckeyes (29-7), the No. 2 seed in the East, and the Bearcats (26-10), the No. 6 seed, will meet for just the second time in 50 years tonight.
In an NCAA Tournament that unofficially has been renamed The State of Ohio Invitational, this — along with the Kentucky-Indiana rematch in the South Region — should be the most passionate of games.
Not unless, of course, you asked the coaches and players.
For example, ask Cincy coach Mick Cronin about having a chance to cut down the big men in state and this is what you get:
“For the fans, it’s different,’’ said Cronin. “For us, it’s the next team on our schedule. For a lot of our fans, there’s nostalgia but I wasn’t alive. I grew up on that stuff, but I wasn’t alive. We’ve got bigger fish to fry, and we need to stay focused on things that matter.’’
Ask Ohio State coach Thad Matta why his program doesn’t schedule that school 103 miles south on I-71 and this is what you get:
“You know, I’m not exactly sure what the answer is to that,’’ said Matta. “But I think the one thing in today’s day and age of college athletics, and I know this from our standpoint of being at Ohio State for eight years, every game we play is like a rivalry.’’
The real rivalry is tonight: The Bearcats’ nasty man-to-man defense, with Yancy Gates facing up Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, against the Buckeyes’ smooth, balanced offense.
“It still kind of has bad blood between the two schools,’’ said Gates, a Cincy kid. “So this one is going to be remembered for whoever goes to the Elite 8, and it’s going to be a battle of Ohio.’’
Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?