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NEW YORK -- Malcolm Jenkins might have been a higher pick a year ago. Might have made more money. But he decided to stay one more year at Ohio State, and he went No. 14 overall to the New Orleans Saints in this year's draft.

He has no regrets.

"That's one of the best decisions I ever made, to stay in school and enjoy my senior year," Jenkins said at a press conference moments ago at Radio City Music Hall. "I'll graduate in June, I won the (Jim) Thorpe Award (for nation's best defensive back), I got to have Senior Day and all that went with that. I'm so glad I made that decision, because it's something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life."

A No. 8 versus No. 9 team is generally a toss-up. When you toss in a relative home court advantage, though, of Ohio State playing in Dayton, Ohio against Siena a win by the Saints becomes a bit more of an upset. Siena made it through two overtimes to knock off the Buckeyes in a hostile location.

Ronald Moore twice hit huge threes in the overtimes. Once to extend the game to a second overtime and the next to give Siena the lead with 3.9 seconds left in the second overtime. That proved to be the game winner.

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If you watched the game, you certainly don't need me to tell you that. And I don't say that to rub it in to Buckeyes fans ... just the opposite, actually. It should be comforting. Not that any loss in a championship game is easy (and again, you know this), but it's not like this was a game that Ohio State blew. It wasn't a choke, it wasn't an off game, it was just the Florida Gators being damn near unbeatable.

Florida would have beaten anyone last night ... be it Georgetown, UCLA, Kansas, UNC, anyone. You could put together an All-Star team from those four schools, and they wouldn't have beaten Florida last night. The Gators were too good, too talented, too deep, too complete. Too perfect.

Think about the following things, and then think about the fact that they didn't matter:

• Greg Oden had 25 and 12, with four blocks. Didn't matter.
• Florida turned the ball over 15 times, Ohio State just 7. Didn't matter.
• Oden wasn't in foul trouble and played 38 minutes, his second-highest minute total this year. Didn't matter.
• Joakim Noah was 1-of-3 from the floor. Didn't matter.

All of those things happened, and Ohio State was never really in the game. That's pretty amazing. I don't know if anyone out there could have read those four stats before the game, and had any faith that the Gators were going to win.

A lot of people will say that three-point shooting was the major factor, and while that's true, it's not the entire truth. Ohio State was 4-of-23 from beyond the arc, and Florida was 10-of-18. But Florida's 10-of-18 happened for a reason, and that reason isn't just that Lee Humphrey, Taurean Green, and Corey Brewer can shoot.

It was because Al Horford commanded attention on the block, because Brewer sliced up the defense all night, because they got to loose balls, because they were quicker in transition, and because Ohio State's big men wouldn't/couldn't come out and help on the perimeter. Yes, the threes were a factor, but it wasn't happenstance. Billy Donovan wanted it that way, and the Gators earned those open looks. And by the same token, a lot of Ohio State's looks from three were not great looks, because of Florida's defensive versatility, and that they declined to not double team the post.

Florida was just all-around better, and had personnel, teamwork, experience, and ability that Ohio State couldn't handle. But don't feel bad about it, Buckeyes. No one could have.

I don't think this is a loss for which you'd necessarily blame anyone, but if you are into passing out blame for the Buckeyes loss to Florida... Greg Oden pretty clearly is blameless. He did did everything he had to do last night. He did everything people wanted to see from him.

People said he had to stay out of foul trouble, and he did (though there is at least one call Corey Brewer would like to discuss). They said he had to be a defensive force in the paint, in more than just a shot-blocking way, and he was. To say the least. They said he had to score if he was guarded one-on-one in the post, and he did (against Joakim Noah and Al Horford, mind you, two consensus NBA top-10 picks, and he did it with a certain degree of ease). Oden was a beast last night, moreso than he had ever been in his short career.

All told, 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, with 12 rebounds, on 38 minutes played. Even against Florida, pretty clearly the best team in the nation, it looked at times like Oden might as well have been playing against sixth-graders, because no one guy out there was going to stop him (and rarely did two guys try to stop him).

So if he leaves (and I think he should and will), he leaves after his best performance on the biggest possible stage, and did everything anyone wanted him to do. Except win, I guess.

During the Ohio State/Georgetown game, I began to wonder ... is Greg Oden going to get to the NBA and start picking up fouls a massive amount of fouls?

He's not been playing a lot of basketball recently. His five-feet-off-the-ground heiney has been planted squarely on the bench next to Thad Matta, mainly because he's picking up so many fouls (some of them deserved, some of them not ... but the again, that's the case for every basketball player in history, is it not?)

In the past three games for the Buckeyes, Greg Oden is averaging 1 foul for about every 5.2 minutes he plays. For a point of reference, the most hack-happy guys in the NBA are Atlanta's Lorenzon Wright with 1 foul for every 5 minutes and Chuck Hayes of Houston, with 1 foul every 5.16 minutes.

So what's Oden's deal? Through the regular season, I never really thought of Oden as a hackmaster (on the entire season, his average is a much more manageable 1 foul for every 10.7 minutes), but in the tournament, he's fouling like Smokey bowling against The Dude and Walter Sobchak (though Oden, to my knowledge, is not entering a world of pain). I don't know if the disparity here is explained by better competition or a quicker style of play and more possessions per game.

You can tell me that a lot of them are cheap, ticky-tack calls, and that may be true, however ... if that is the case, it's still on Oden to adjust. If that's the way they call it, that's the way they call it.

As far as his NBA potential goes, I'd say it's a slight area of concern, and for tonight's game against Florida, a pretty huge area of concern, given the guys he's going to have to deal with in the paint.

Oden's showed some really quick feet with some offensive moves, but on defense, for whatever the reasons (and fatigue may be one of them) ... the quick feet seem to take a rest. He blocks shot with his length and his anticipation, but he's going to have to learn to move his feet on defense, too. Both for tonight's game and for his NBA career.

Final Four Live Blog: Georgetown-Ohio State | 1st Half | 2nd Half

Welcome back. Ohio State leads 27-23 thanks to Mike Conley, Jr. shooting 5-6 with 11 points. He has penetrated almost at will against Georgetown. Jeff Green has been a non-factor as he just hasn't gotten the ball too often.

A cynic might think that CBS placed a very angry call to the NCAA about the refs in the first half. The conspiracy theory might have legs Oden and Hibbert really start to bang without calls in the second half. At least, that's what I'm hoping to see.

The halftime was uncomfortable with the Chevrolet Player and Coach of the Year Awards. Lesley Visser and some very disturbing hair was stuck in the awkward sponsor shill hostess duties.

Now, Ohio State is standing around and Georgetown is moving without the ball.

Georgetown takes the lead 34-33 at 15:56, but Hibbert just whistled for his third foul.

Hibbert out of the game, and now Oden gets to slam one home. It would be nice for more then two minute spells to see them go at each other a bit more.

Hibbert went right at Oden and drew the foul. Now 3 fouls for each. Guess the refs didn't get the memo. 42-38 Ohio State with 11:50 remaining.

Final Four Live Blog: Georgetown-Ohio State | 1st Half | 2nd Half

Finally, it's game time. I don't know about the rest of you, but I nearly started my taxes today because I was so bored waiting for the games.

Just before player introductions, Sam Ryan said that Ohio State Football Coach Jim Tressel sent Thad Matta a text message of support. Just a hunch, but if Ohio State faces Florida on Monday, I don't think Matta will be taking any words of wisdom on playing the Gators.

Oden beats Hibbert for the tip, and then Hibbert fouls Oden 18 seconds into the game. Hibbert just fell two spots in the latest mock drafts.

Oden misses free throws, Hibbert gets a deep hook over Oden and then Oden called for an illegal screen at the other end. Hibbert moves back up one spot.

Oden called for a charge at 17:19. It was obvious of what would happen right away when he got the ball deep but the Georgetown player was standing and waiting.

So much for the Big Man Battle. At least in the first half. Early it's been some 3-point shooting.

For Ohio Sate campus security, there is beefing up security for the Ohio State-Michigan football game. Then there is everything else.

"After talking with students, university staff members generally agreed that the intensity of interest in the basketball games is not as high as with last fall's Ohio State-Michigan football game," a campus official wrote in an e-mail this week to members of a campus-area safety panel. The e-mail was obtained by The Columbus Dispatch.

Before the Michigan game in November, the city banned parking, emptied trash bins and removed couches from porches in some neighborhoods near campus hoping to avoid a repeat of 2002 when fans rioted after Ohio State beat the Wolverines en route to college football's national championship.

Such is the life of a football school and some basketball success. The perceived expectations of mayhem are much lower. The concern for couch burning is just not there.

"People are excited -- the intensity is just not as much," said Steve Sterrett of Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment, which issued the safety plan update.

It's like he's almost apologizing for the Buckeye students not being expected to riot over the chances of winning a Final Four basketball game versus Michigan. As if he is calling out their level of support for the basketball team. Sure, for the football team you will burn things, riot in the street and create chaos. But for the basketball team, it's just another Saturday night.

The old dogs may be retired, but Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is keeping them nearby this year. He's given them an office to share within the Ohio State Athletic Department. What will they do? I have no idea but it's a nice gesture and a way to connect with the recent Buckeye past.

This article's author suggests it's also a way to cover for Tressel's perceived shortcomings.

t's obvious, isn't it? Cover your weaknesses with strengths.

Against Florida in the national championship game, Ohio State played like someone spiked its Gatorade with NyQuil. The Buckeyes displayed all the emotion of a Maytag repairman.

So Tress solves the problem by hiring Bruce, the fiery former Ohio State coach who never met a topic he couldn't turn into a motivational testimony...

...Across the room, John Cooper will be watching game film. If Tress is smart, it will be high school game film.

Coop couldn't beat Michigan, but he could beat the pants off most coaches when it came to evaluating and recruiting high school talent. And after the non-top 10 recruiting class that Ohio State coaches just brought in, the Buckeyes could use a guy like Coop to win over future blue chippers.

So you have to hand it to Tress. Problem: motivation. Solution: Bruce. Problem: recruiting. Solution: Coop.

That's a little much, but obviously he's nailed the strengths of both coaches. Tressel's managed quite well on his own winning one championship and playing in another.

That said, Bruce's influence is particularly interesting given his fiery, rambunctious demeanor. As noted in the story, he shares a connection to Florida coach Urban Meyer. He also mentored a young Pete Carroll (1978-1979 at Iowa State). It's not a stretch to say Bruce had a lasting influence on Carroll given Carroll's well documented charisma and energy, meaning Bruce has had a meaningful impact on three of the last four college football championship teams.

Not bad for an old dog.

H/T: The Wiz

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