GAME: Ohio State (2-0 overall, 0-0 Big 10) vs. Washington (2-1 overall, 0-0, Pac-12). WHEN: Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT. TYPE: Tournament/Tip-Off Hall of Fame Classic. MEETING: 12th (UW leads 8-3). RANKINGS: Ohio State 4 AP, 4 USA Today. COACHES: Thad Matta, Ohio State; Lorenzo Romar, Washington. TV: ESPN3. RADIO: KKNW 1150 AM.
Lorenzo Romar’s Washington Huskies (2-1) will face the highest-ranked team they are likely to face all season Sunday in their concluding game of the Tip-Off Hall of Fame Classic. In No. 4 Ohio State (2-0) Washington will also meet a 2012 Final Four team and the defending Big 10 champions.
A 31-win team last season with 11 freshmen and five sophomores on the roster, Ohio State is coming off a 69-58 win Saturday over Rhode Island in the second round of the Tip-Off tournament. In the first round, the Buckeyes crushed Albany 82-60, and then Albany turned around and defeated Washington 63-62 at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Ohio State had all it could handle against Rhode Island Saturday. The Rams led early, but Ohio State came back to lead 30-26 at halftime. Although Rhode Island stayed within eight points of the Buckeyes for most of the second half, Ohio State ultimately proved superior as preseason All-American Deshaun Thomas scored 25 points and Aaron Craft added 13 points and four assists.
“Craft is going to be an NBA player for the next 10 years,” Albany coach Will Brown said after Ohio State defeated Albany. “He’s the best defensive guard in the country.”
“This will be a great challenge for us,” said Lorenzo Romar said Saturday night. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Washington almost didn’t qualify to meet the Buckeyes. The Huskies ran up an 18-point lead on Seton Hall Saturday, but blew all of it and more in the second half before recovering to force overtime. Scott Suggs, who played despite a concussion, hit the key 3-pointer that helped lift Washington to an 84-73 victory over the Pirates. Suggs finished with 15 points as the Huskies improved to 2-1.
SERIES: Washington holds an 8-3 all-time advantage over Ohio State, but the teams have not met in nearly 40 years. Last time was Dec. 1, 1972, when the Huskies notched a 67-63 win in Seattle in the season opener for both schools. The last win for the Buckeyes over Washington came Dec. 27, 1961, when No. 1 Ohio State beat the Huskies 59-49 in the Los Angeles Classic. The Huskies have had a lot of success over the years against Big Ten Conference. They are 40-30 all-time against Big Ten teams.
UW HEAD COACH: Lorenzo Romar (314-202 overall, 221-114 UW) is coming off a year in which the Huskies won the Pac-12 regular-season title. Romar has taken the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament six times and won three Pac-10 Tournament titles (2005, 2010, 2011). Romar, who signed a 10-year contract extension in April 2011, won his his 200th game at Washington Dec. 16, 2011. He had his 300th career victory and his 100th as a conference coach on Jan. 21, 2012. Romar was selected the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
Romar played for the Huskies under head coach Marv Harshman during the 1979-80 seasons (served as team captain his senior year), and had a five-year NBA career with Golden State (1981-84), Milwaukee (1984) and Detroit (1984-85). He became a college head coach at Pepperdine in 1997, where he coached for three seasons, then spent three years (1999-02) at St. Louis University before taking the Washington job in 2002-03.
OHIO STATE HEAD COACH: Thad Matta is in his ninth year as head coach of the Buckeyes. He began his head coaching career at Butler in 2001 and then worked three seasons at Xavier before moving to Columbus in 2005. Matta has been Big 10 Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2010. Matta played basketball for Butler and was its starting point guard in 1989-90.
COMING UP: Washington returns to Alaska Airlines Arena Nov. 24 for a game against Colorado State.
University of Washington 2012-13 Schedule
(Rankings From Associated Press)
| Date | Opponent | UW Rnk | Opp Rnk | W/L | Score | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/11/12 | @vs. W. Washington | — | — | W | 88-78 | 0-0 |
| 11/11/12 | *vs. Loyola-MD. | — | — | W | 85-63 | 1-0 |
| 11/13/12 | *vs. Albany | — | — | L | 63-62 | 1-1 |
| 11/17/12 | *vs. Seton Hall | — | — | W | 84-73 | 2-1 |
| 11/18/12 | *vs. Ohio St. | — | 4 | — | — | — |
| 11/24/12 | vs. Colorado St. | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11/28/12 | vs. Saint Louis | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12/2/12 | Cal St.-Fuller. | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12/8/12 | vs. Nevada | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12/13/12 | at Seattle U. | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12/15/12 | vs. Jackson St. | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12/20/12 | vs. Cal Poly | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12/22/12 | vs. N. Illinois | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12/29/12 | at Connecticut | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1/5/13 | at WSU | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1/9/13 | at California | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1/16/13 | vs. Colorado | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1/19/13 | vs. Utah | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1/23/13 | at Oregon St. | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1/26/13 | at Oregon | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1/31/13 | vs. Arizona | — | 12 | — | — | — |
| 2/2/13 | vs. ASU | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2/7/13 | at UCLA | — | 13 | — | — | — |
| 2/10/13 | at USC | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2/13/13 | vs. Oregon | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2/16/13 | vs. Oregon St. | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2/20/13 | at Arizona | — | 12 | — | — | — |
| 2/23/13 | at ASU | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3/3/13 | vs. WSU | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3/6/13 | vs. USC | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3/9/13 | vs. UCLA | — | 13 | — | — | — |
| 3/13/13 | ^First Round | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3/14/13 | ^Quarterfinal | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3/15/13 | ^Semifinal | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3/16/13 | ^Championship | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3/19/13 | #1st Four | — | — | — | — | |
| 3/21/13 | #2nd-3rd Rnds. | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3/28/13 | #Regionals | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4/6/13 | #Final 4 Semi | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4/8/13 | #Final 4 Champ. | — | — | — | — | — |
@=Exhibition; *=Hall of Fame Classic; ^=Pac-12 Tournament; #=NCAA Tournament