If you thought Ohio State might be out for revenge on Sunday, you were right. The Buckeyes were coming off two losses in their past four games, including a four-point road loss to Indiana last week, and then more recently, a five-point loss at Illinois. They got their chance to get back at the Hoosiers at home on Sunday and did a big way, winning 80-61.
Ohio State coach Thad Matta says he tried not to make it about revenge. He says he’s got a young team that needs to simply play like it practices and realizes why it is they play so well when they do. Ohio State returns to action Saturday at Nebraska.
Thad Matta joined ESPN 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis with Dan Dakich to talk about getting some revenge on the Hoosiers after Indiana had beaten Ohio State earlier in conference play, the play of Lenzelle Smith Jr. in the victory, not letting the team get ahead of itself as it continues to grow as a young team, a pregame speech by football coach Urban Meyer and the importance of a connection between football and basketball staffs.
On exacting some revenge for an earlier loss to Indiana and a loss to Illinois by beating the Hoosiers by 17 points Sunday:
“It’s funny. I’m trying to get where we’re not in a revenge mode. We had three great practices leading into the game. I’m just trying to get these guys to play like they practice. We did a great job; we wanted to get off to a good start and I thought [defense] was going to be the key. When you play a great team like Indiana, you’ve got to slow them down.â€
How about the performance by Lenzelle Smith Jr. despite being sick?:
“I didn’t know until Saturday evening that he was going to play. We hadn’t even seen him. We had him away from the other guys. He had a case of strep throat and came in on his own and watched some film, but we didn’t want anyone else to get it. It was amazing what he was able to do [Sunday] in knocking down the shots.â€
Is this a game that you have to make sure that your team doesn’t get ahead of itself, because it’s blown out other teams at home this year?:
“No doubt about that. I think anytime you have a team as youthful as we are, you’re trying to find the buttons to push in getting guys to understand that in today’s day and age of college basketball, it’s an everyday grind, that you’ve got to do all the little things and continue to build a camaraderie and friendship with your teammates and understand that we’re playing for more than ourselves. Hopefully guys can continue to learn why we play well and why we don’t.â€
On Urban Meyer addressing the team:
“He came in before the game and I was sitting in the locker room and we were talking and I said, ‘Hey Coach, do you mind saying a few words?’ He was unbelievable. A lot of people don’t know this, he’s a Buckeye. Like he was telling me, ‘I grew up the biggest Ohio State fan and as a young kid my dream was to play basketball at Ohio State.’ So he was very honored and did a tremendous job.â€
Will it be the same as when Jim Tressel was there for you, that football and basketball can coexist?:
“That’s the one thing that when I got here eight years ago, I reached out to Jim and now with Urban, the things that we can do together. Football is such a big part of this university and obviously Urban and Jim are or were kind of the faces of the university. A football Saturday here in Columbus is one of the greatest sporting events I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely beneficial for us to be connected with the football staff.â€
Listen to Thad Matta on ESPN 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis here
Tags: College Basketball, Indiana Hoosiers, Jim Tressel, Lenzelle Smith Jr., Ohio State Buckeyes, Thad Matta, Urban Meyer
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