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 SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Ohio State coach Thad Matta looked down the bench and locked eyes with Greg Oden. The big man, sitting out with three fouls, nodded. "Let's go," Matta told him, adding his usual advice in such situations: "Play real hard and don't foul anybody." Oden followed orders perfectly, dominating like only a 7-footer can over the decisive stretch in the second half to carry the top-seeded Buckeyes past Memphis 92-76 and into the Final Four.
Oden's numbers in Saturday's South Regional championship weren't huge: 17 points, nine rebounds. His presence was.
While Oden was on the bench with his third foul, Ohio State (34-3) went from five points up to five points down. Then the fabulous freshman went back in and everything changed again.
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