Young Buckeyes Knock Off Memphis; Head to Final Four

Freshman stars Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Jr. embraced in the middle of the Alamo Dome floor as the rest of the Buckeyes celebrated their first trip to the Final Four since 1999. The former high school teammates combined with senior Ron Lewis to lead Ohio State to a 92-76 victory over Memphis in Saturday's south regional final. The loss snapped Memphis' 25-game winning streak, a figure that had been best in the nation.

The top-seeded Buckeyes asserted themselves out of the gates, scoring the game's first eight points and establishing an upbeat tempo. Though the first half would tighten up considerably, Ohio State managed to pull away with a late run. Though they only led by three points at halftime, the Buckeyes had clearly established a post presence with big man Greg Oden and the outside game of Lewis and Conley. It wasn't until the second frame that it paid off, though.

The second half turned into a fast-paced end-to-end game that would normally favor the Memphis Tigers. John Calipari's bunch simply couldn't keep up, though, as gaping holes opened in their defense throughout the half. Dribble penetration from freshman point guard Mike Conley, Jr. ended up being the difference, as he was able to consistently get into the lane and draw fouls on the Memphis big men. The same was true for all of the Ohio State guards, who finished the game a combined 25-26 from the foul line.

Despite their defensive deficiencies, the Tigers had an opportunity to take control in the second half. They even led by three with just over five minutes to go when Conley went to work again. This time, he sliced through the lane, finding an open Greg Oden under the basket. As Oden attempted to finish the play, Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts committed an intentional foul, wrapping his arms around Oden as the big freshman managed to put the ball in the hoop. The Buckeyes tied the game when Oden made one of two subsequent free throws and then took the lead when Jamar Butler scored two on the resulting possession. From there, Ohio State never looked back.

The Buckeyes were led in scoring by the 22 points of Ron Lewis, 19 from Conley, Jr., and 17 from Greg Oden. Memphis guard Jeremy Hunt paced the Tiger effort off of the bench, coming through with five three point field goals on his way to 26 points.

Next up for Ohio State is the Final Four in Atlanta, where the Buckeyes will battle the winner of Saturday night's game between Kansas and UCLA.