European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 44 Sta Sand stripes sunday april 1 2007 Hoya buckeyes rematch bears Little resemblance to last year by Nancy Armour the associated press Atlanta passing and Cut Ting Georgetown worked its of sense to perfection and Ohio state was powerless to do anything about it just As bad the Buck eyes  get anything of their own going offensively the game most thought would be a Gimme for Ohio state in the second round of last years Mcaa tournament turned out to be any thing but in what might have been the surest sign Georgetown really was Back the hoyas routed the second seeded buckeyes in opus Back Yard no less fast Forward a year and the teams Are meeting again this time in the final four but any one looking at last years game to see who will have the Edge Satur Day would have just As much Luck consulting a Oma Board actually the ouija Board might provide More insight they Are an extremely differ ent team than they were then we Are an extremely different team than we were Georgetown coach John Thompson Iii said you look at that game just to get a feel for the flow and what we did and what they did and then you forget about indeed about the Only thing that the same Are the names on the front of the jerseys the hoyas 306 have Roy hib Bert Jeff Green and Jonathan Wallace Back and they still run that same patient offence that re lies on passing and motion but Georgetown has far More depth and finesse this time around Hibbert has emerged As one of the Best big men in the country holding his own in comparisons with freshmen Kevin Durant and Greg Oden he averages Points and rebounds and has a double double Streak of five games going David j Jamar Butler is Ohio states Only returning starter from last sea son when the buckeyes lost to Georgetown in the second round of the Mcaa tournament not bad for a Guy so uncoordinated he  even run when he got to Georgetown Hes someone we literally started with showing him How to run he could barely pick up both of his Thompson said he has developed he has pro Gressed he has gotten better Hes been extremely willing to Lis ten to what weve tried to teach him Hes someone who wants to be Green can do pretty much everything on the court and do it Well he leads the team in scoring Points and is a close second in rebounds and whenever the hoyas need something to Hap pen he usually delivers while Hibbert and Green get All the attention if s Georgetown guards who make the hoyas go Wallace May be the third est scorer on the team but leave him alone outside and watch out just ask North Carolina it was wallaces three Pointer that tied the regional final last weekend and capped the hoyas remarkable comeback Hes shooting almost 49 percent from beyond the arc Jessie Sapp has put on two of his Best efforts in the tournament scoring a career High 20 Points in the opener against Belmont and adding 15 Points and eight assists against the tar heels and dont forget about fresh Man Dajuan Summers who looking like a grizzled Veteran the deeper the hoyas go into the tournament playing the to seeded tar heels didst faze him at All As he shot 7for10 from the Field for a career High 20 Points we have an extremely versa tile team that can play different Thompson said close game being Down being up i think we have a Comfort level with who we Are and How we can figure out How to win games to for As different As Georgetown looks if s nothing compared to the buckeyes Jamar Butler is the Only return ing starter Ron Lewis is a senior but coach Thad Matta has entrusted his team to a Bunch of babes four heralded prep players and Junior College Transfer Othello Hunter aka the Thad five everyone knows about Oden of course touted As the Best domes tic born big Man since another Hoya Patrick Ewing but Oden missed the first seven games of the season after surgery on his right wrist and its Only been in the last few weeks he has been Able to fully display the considerable skills that will Likely make him the no 1 pick in the Aba draft he leads the buckeyes in scor ing and rebounding and it was his presence that made the differ ence As Ohio state beat Memphis in the regional final i cant wait to play against him on Hibbert said Hes done so much for his team in such a Short period of West Virginia beats Clemson in nit final by Doug Feinberg the associated press new York it had been 65 years since West Virginia won any postseason championship now the mountaineers have a not title to ease some of the disappointment of missing the Mcaa tournament this season Frank Young scored 24 Points including six three pointers and Desean Butler added 20 to help West Virginia beat Clemson 7873 in the National invitation tournament final thursday night the mountaineers 279 thought they had a Good Case to receive an Mcaa bid with a 97 Mark in the Tough big East and a Victory Over Urcla but they didst make the Cut its been a lot of fun to play in this tournament and All the emotions just built up As it went Young said of course we wanted to be in the Mcaa tournament but to win this tournament All the Joy is still there were still Happy about finishing our season with a Young averaged Over 22 Points in the five games of the not and was selected As tournament most outstanding averaged Over 20 Points in the big East tournament and the senior followed that with a Stellar not to Cap his College career that is As impressive a run As Ive West Virginia coach John Beilein said of his Star Hes just a believer he gets on a Seth Frank Young scored 24 Points in West Virginias 7873 Victory Over Clemson on thursday night Roll and they just go to him it just feeds off it was the mountaineers first not title since 1942 when Rudy Baric led West Virginia Over Western Kentucky the tigers 2511 trailed by double digits for the entire Sec Ond half before a late 110 spurt Cut it to the final margin Marcio Jose Urcla guard Arron Afflalo keeps a picture from last years 7357 toss to Florida in the National title game in his room for motivation Urcla trying to rewrite ending against Florida by Eddie Pells the associated press Atlanta they say teams learn lessons from their losses if so Urcla should be More than ready for its rematch with Florida in the final four for 40 excruciating minutes in last years final the Bruins forced bad shots played tentative de sense got out hustled and out coached just about everything we could have done Urcla coach Ben Howland said a year after Florida 7357 Vic tory most of the players on both teams remain the same its up to the Bruins to try to Force a differ ent result in saturdays semifinals easier said than done yes Urcla has four key play ers including Arron Afflalo and Luc Richard mbah a moute Back from last years debacle but Flor Ida brought Back All five starters yes Urcla has spent a year being motivated by its loss for failing to bring a 12th Champion ship to Pauley Pavilion but Florida has spent the same year trying to prove it can win it All again and become the first team to re peat since 1992 and the first to win consecutive titles with the same starting five Florida coach Billy Donovan has tried to disconnect this sea son from last think were a changed Basket Ball he insisted i think when you go through the experiences we went through last year were All different i think the coaches Are different the players Are different your teams differ by different Howland insists that what Donovan really Means is who to argue while their stats Are All hovering around where they were last year Joakim Noah Corey Brewer and co have played from the front this year Haven Griuck up on any one and with that Burden have still tied last years school record with 33 victories they have overcome adversity going on their current eight game winning Streak after losing three of four near the end of the regular season they have overcome doubters and haters from those who questioned them for their decisions to return to College to those who booed and ridiculed them in Al most every visiting Arena now there trying to Over come the distraction of Dono vans future which has been thrown into question with the Sud Den departure of Tubby Smith at Kentucky i really dont know if mental toughness is something that can be Donovan said i think As you get older you get More mature i think you can Han dle it better but i think our Guys have been through a lot they understand what Type of mindset they need to be in to play to the very Best of our Urcla is in very much the same place Only without the title Well actually the Bruins have plenty of titles but this group has yet to add a Banner to the rafters which Are reserved Only for National championships not for winning the pac10 advancing in the Caas or any other accomplishment that lesser programs celebrate Afflalo keeps a picture in his room from last years final one that shows him sitting on the Bench with a bowed head in the final seconds Brewer shut Afflalo Down on the perimeter that night in India Napolis last year Noah blocked six shots and altered Many oth ers Afflalo shot 3for10 and never got into a rhythm also returning for Urcla Are big men mbah a moute and Lorenzo Mata mbah a moute was Domi Nant last year in the semifinal Vic tory against leu but a no Factor against Florida