FanHouse HiibbertVs.Oden

I know it's cliche to say that a great individual matchup feels like a big-time heavyweight title fight, but it's true. If Oden vs. Hibbert was on pay-per-view, I'd buy it. "This big awesome guy is going to take on that big awesome guy? I need to see this. What? It's $49.95? Well, here's my wallet. I've still got to see this." Like fellow FanHouser Michael David Smith, I'm excited about it.

Or maybe it's more like the two biggest, baddest dudes in junior getting into a fight. You know them both well, you've seen them both destroy lesser opponents (hello, Joey Dorsey), and one guy said something about the other guy's mama, and now, they're going to rumble. You wouldn't hang around behind the dumpsters after school to see this?

There's just a certain element of anticipation in a great one-on-one battle that doesn't necessarily accompany games pitting a great team vs. a great team. Take Florida/UCLA, for example ... a great, great, matchup, and I love both teams. I love UCLA's defense, Ben Howland is arguably the best college basketball coach in the world right now, and who hasn't loved watching Florida's unbelievable cast of players these past two years? I'm psyched to see it.

But when it comes down to it, if I had to pick one game or the other ... I'm sorry, but I think it's got to be Oden vs. Hibbert. What happens in that game will not only effect the rest of the Final Four, but it could set the tone for battles in the NBA for years to come.

I've put this enthusiasm to use: See Hibbert vs. Oden: The Breakdown, Part I and Part II.

Hibbert vs. Oden: The Hype
Hibbert vs. Oden: The Breakdown, Part I
Hibbert vs. Oden: The Breakdown, Part II

So how's this thing going to shake out? Conventional wisdom and hype suggest that Oden is the superior player. In 2010, he probably will be ... but for 2007, I am unconvinced.

We'll start with defense. Oden's got the better reputation, and his shot-blocking ability is (rightfully) talked about all the time, but ... let's not sleep on Roy Hibbert in the defensive department. Hibbert doesn't have the blocked shot numbers, but he wouldn't. Georgetown prefers to play at a more deliberate tempo, and since he has fewer opportunities to block shots, he gets fewer blocks. I don't know what the exact numbers are here, but if you project Hibbert's blocks per game to blocks per possession, I bet they're pretty close to Oden.

Like Oden with the Buckeyes, Georgetown's defense absolutely leans on Hibbert. When he's in the game, it's like a giant oak tree sprouted up from the floor right in the middle of the paint. Ask UNC how much easier it gets when Hibbert sits. He alters a ton of shots when he can hang out around the basket. And since Ohio State never really moves Oden away from the basket, Hibbert will always be around it.

And defensively, in this game, Oden could struggle. John Thompson III, with elements of that Pete Carril offense, is going to make Oden guard all over the floor. He can't do it. He's a great shot blocker, amazing defensive rebounder, and in the paint, he's a beast. But he's not that good of a defender near the perimeter. When Georgetown's running their sets, they make everyone on the floor guard. They could get Oden into foul trouble like this.

Offensively, both players could stand to be a little more assertive and demand the ball. Oden more than Hibbert, really, since Georgetown runs so many structured things that don't leave a lot of room for ball-demanding. Ohio State is more free-flowing, letting Mike Conley call the shots, but did show get the ball more in the post and showed more moves against Memphis than he had all-season long.

I think Ohio State made it a point to hammer it in the Oden in the regional final against Memphis for two reasons: 1) It would be fun to mess with Joey Dorsey, and 2) it would be easy to mess with Joey Dorsey (and I don't want to leave out Dorsey's backup, Kareem Cooper, who might as well have been a student manager standing there holding one of those big padded things).

Neither of those things would be true against Roy Hibbert, and I think Ohio State would be wise to stay out of the paint. It's not that I think Oden can't handle Hibbert ... he'd get his points. But Hibbert is the strongest point of a strong defense, and Ohio State doesn't need to go inside. Why mess with it if they don't have to? They can just as easily score on the perimeter, and I think that's what you'll end up seeing.

Hibbert vs. Oden: The Hype
Hibbert vs. Oden: The Breakdown, Part I
Hibbert vs. Oden: The Breakdown, Part II

The Memphis game aside, for whatever the reasons, Thad Matta's never chosen to make Greg Oden a huge part of the Ohio State offense. Their MVP this year, and I say this with a great deal of respect to Greg Oden, is Mike Conley. The same is sort of true of Hibbert, as Jeff Green usually handles the offensive load, but the difference is, where Ohio State doesn't often make it a point to keep feeding Oden the ball, Georgetown will take advantage of a Hibbert mismatch. For an example, see the Big East championship game where Hibbert emasculated Aaron Gray in front of 19,000 New Yorkers. Gray is still searching for remnants of his testicles.

Comparing offensive skills, it's almost all Hibbert. Again, Oden showed more against Memphis than he had all year, and he does have this blazingly quick spin move that I'm not sure that more than a handful of NBA guys could stop right now. But for all-around scoring, the edge is Hibbert's. In fact, it's not even so much an edge as it is the whole damn cliff.

Hibbert's low post game is way more polished. His footwork is spectacular, as good as you'll see on the college level. He's got a variety of moves with his back to the basket, a sweeping hook shot, the spin, drop steps, and he can turn and shoot from almost anywhere. He's got touch for days, and is a pretty good passer, too. Georgetown likes to get him moving towards the basket on some backdoor cuts, too. Again, I could see Oden struggling with this and picking up fouls.

It's not that Oden can't do those things; he's capable of it. Either he just hasn't learned the whole back of tricks yet, or Thad Matta doesn't want to run the offense through him, or some combination of both. Whatever the reasons, we haven't seen it.

So if Hibbert has all these advantages, why is Oden regarded as the better NBA prospect? Because physically, he's superior to Hibbert. He's quicker, stronger, and in better shape. I don't disagree that he's a superior NBA prospect. But as far as the matchup in this game, and the usage by their respective teams, I see Hibbert having an advantage.

Hibbert vs. Oden: The Hype
Hibbert vs. Oden: The Breakdown, Part I
Hibbert vs. Oden: The Breakdown, Part II