Same Teams, Different Sport FINAL FOUR NOTES: Players Downplay the Coincidence

Apr 02, 07:22 AM

Current Headlines: By Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press

Apr. 2--ATLANTA -- Michigan fans know the chant too well.

Three times during the basketball season, Ohio State fans belted, "Just like football!" after wins.

After tonight's national championship game against Florida, the Buckeyes hope they don't hear the same tune from the Gators.

An unusual situation emerged with the schools that met for the football national title meeting for the basketball crown tonight at the Georgia Dome.

This time the roles are reversed, with Florida entering the game as the substantial favorite, unlike the football game, which the Gators won.

Neither side wants to put too much emphasis on it, but they can understand the coincidence.

"The football game really doesn't have much to play in our game," Ohio State guard Mike Conley said. "They're both great colleges, Florida and Ohio State. They obviously have great football and basketball teams. It's kind of weird they meet up in the championship games.

"But, you know, we're not worried about what the football team did or how they beat our school. It's a new game. We're looking to show them a different team than what we showed them earlier this year."

That would be the more relevant rematch, the one that involved the teams playing each other Dec. 23 in Gainesville. Florida won that game, 86-60, breaking open a close game in the second half.

"I don't want to say that I circled Florida and said, 'I want to play Florida again,' " Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "You get beat by 26 points, you really don't want to see that team for a while.

"But I do think that I wanted to be in this position and was a realist that there was probably a really, really good chance that Florida was going to be the team that was going to be on the opposite side, and so be it."

GRABBING HORFORD: Al Horford was prepared to be the face that saved Michigan basketball when he verbally committed to the Wolverines in September 2003.

But the 6-foot-8 power forward who attended Grand Ledge High changed his mind and chose Florida and likely will be an NBA lottery pick this summer.

"I think one of the things that helped us in recruiting Al was the fact that he did have still a lot of family in the Dominican Republic (and that) wasn't far from Florida," coach Billy Donovan said. "He and I developed a good bond and relationship during the process. ... Maybe having some of that warmer climate, being from the Dominican, certainly opened up an opportunity and an avenue for us to recruit him."

FOOTBALL SCHOOL: Some have pointed out that both schools are perceived as a football school first.

"As far as being second to football, it does not even bother me," Matta said. "My goal is not to make Ohio State a basketball school. I think my goal is to make it the best basketball program that we possibly can. The relationship coach (Jim) Tressel and I have, his staff, our staff, I think is a blessing.

"The thing he's helped me through in my time at Ohio State, nobody knows better than Coach. He's always been a guy that I can find at any time with a question, getting him in and talking to our team, whatever it is. I think the thing that he's taught me, because I've never met a person that loves Ohio State more than Jim Tressel. He's taught me the power of the state of Ohio."

SENSE OF HISTORY: Both teams' starters were asked what was the best NCAA tournament team they could remember and three of the five Ohio State players -- Jamar Butler, Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris -- chose Duke's 1991-92 team, the last one to repeat. Conley chose the mid-1990s Arkansas Razorbacks, and Greg Oden said, "I like Michigan State when they had Mateen Cleaves."

The Gators' list: "The UCLA team that won 88 games in a row," Lee Humphrey said. Corey Brewer chose the 1996 Kentucky team, Horford the 1998 Kentucky team. Joakim Noah picked the 2000 Gators, and Taurean Green the late 1990s North Carolina teams, even though those teams did not win championships.

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