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Men's Basketball
The Buckeye Watch - University of Texas at San Antonio
By Tony Gerdeman

One down, five to go. That's what the Buckeyes are thinking right now after their 75-46 win over Texas-San Antonio.

The Roadrunners tried to slow the game down. Actually, they tried to stop it, but it didn't quite work. Just imagine if they had tried to run, though. The Buckeyes would've scored 110 points.

Instead, Ohio State got an exhibition win and didn't have to move their legs much in the process. And neither did I.

5:04 So George Mason will be Ohio State's opponent on Sunday. People say this George Mason team isn't as good as their Final Four team, but if I'm not mistaken, this year's version is seeded three spots higher.

5:05 I'm looking forward to Melvin Johnson III meeting David Lighty the First.

5:08 I will not be making any Roadrunner jokes today. They are beneath me.

5:09 Ha ha! Gus just said “duty”!

5:10 Jared Sullinger looks pretty loose. Not sure I would be so confident playing a team that is UNDEFEATED in tournament play so far.

5:11 UTSA is wearing orange shoes. They sort of look like crocks on my terrible television.

5:12 Roadrunners go up 2-0. I told you!

5:13 William Buford hits his first three of the game. Good sign. He could be the not-so-secret weapon against these guys today. Like a cannon against a canoe.

5:14 And we're switching to the Arizona – Memphis game because there are no other networks on which to watch this game. Sigh. I understand it, but I hate it.

5:15 William Buford just dunked it, but we missed it. Gus Johnson called it a tomahawk. He has all seven for Ohio State, who trails 9-7.

5:16 We've reached the first timeout and the Roadrunners are the most ironically-named team ever. They're basically holding the ball trying to burn the clock. It didn't work for Penn State and it's not going to work for UTSA. They're just trying not to get blown out. These guys are making Wisconsin look like Loyola-Marymount.

5:19 Wow. Sullinger just plowed through a Roadrunner like...well...there's just no good analogy here because Wile E. Coyote was a complete failure at life.

5:22 Sullinger is just too big for them to handle. If he can get the ball in this zone, and he can make his four-footers, he should be unstoppable.

5:23 Buford with a baseline three. He has ten points. UTSA has nine.

5:24 Buckeyes on a 9-0 run. Sully has found the basket twice now in traffic. Hopefully his rim sense GPS has returned after being missing for a few weeks.

5:25 Jon Diebler for three. His first one rimmed out. There's a storm a'brewin'.

5:26 Aaron Craft just picked up his second foul. The Buckeyes went on an instant run when he came in, and now he'll have to leave. Ohio State has to try and push tempo on defense, but he was just too physical there. Buckeyes lead it 17-11.

5:28 BOOOORRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGG.

5:29 Diebler rims a three in after rimming one out. And the Earth's tilt is corrected.

5:30 UTSA can go ahead and slow this game down, but the Buckeyes can play anybody's style. And there's another three for Buford. He is tied with the Roadrunners 13-13.

5:31 The Roadrunners are 7-12 from the field, but aren't really interested in shooting much. The Buckeyes are 9-12, so I can understand it. Every time they shoot, they lose possession of the ball and Ohio State gets it.

5:41 The Buckeyes are up 27-17 under four minutes to play. Calling this 'stall ball' is an insult to stalls—including the bathroom kind.

5:43 Not that this is a surprise, but the Roadrunners have no answer for Jared Sullinger. Heck, they don't even know the question.

5:45 “When he gets his real chance, it's gonna be a problem in the Big Ten.” – Gus Johnson on Deshaun Thomas.

5:46 Diebler with a deep three. That's an 11-0 run and Ohio State is now up 36-17. UTSA calls a timeout because they enjoy the lasting sting of pain. Buckeyes are ridiculously effective and efficient right now. They're 15-21 from the field and have 14 assists.

5:49 Nobody has shot a free throw yet, and we're down to 1:25 left in the half.

5:51 UTSA closes the half strong with a made basket. Ohio State closes it by missing their final two shots. The momentum has switched! Oh, Buckeyes lead it 37-21 at the half.

5:53 UTSA adjustments? I'm guessing they stick with the slow down for the first four minutes, and if they start hitting shots, then they're cool. If they don't, then they've got to speed things up and go for the kill. Like how a sparrow goes for the kill against a lion. (Hint: Aim for the eyes or the groin.)

6:01 Darn, I was fixing supper (that's right, I call it 'supper'), and I missed Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith's intimate knowledge Ohio State basketball.

Barkley: Ohio State is called the Buckeyes.

Smith: They play Big Ten basketball.

Barkley: Big Ten? They stink!

Smith: My nickname is 'The Jet'.

Barkley: This one time I was in a bar fight with Tony Danza's brother Mikey.

Smith: I'm just not confident in the Buckeyes.

Barkley: I threw him through a shuffle board table. The kind with the bowling pins.

6:14 Well, well. Ohio State opens with a turnover and UTSA starts on a 5-0 run before Sullinger dunks one home. The slow down is working. IT'S WORKING!!

6:16 And the crowd is finally booing the four-corner offense which is basketball for cowards no matter what Dick Vitale tells you about Dean Smith and Phil Ford.

6:18 David Lighty hits a three—it's his first point(s) of the game. Buckeyes by 20 now and UTSA calls a timeout. Time to speed things up soon.

6:28 Sullinger steals the inbounds pass which leads to an immediate David Lighty three. Sometimes you have to create your own tempo by not letting the opponent gain possession of the ball.

6:29 Diebler for three. The machine is running quite nicely. Buckeyes lead it 55-30. Like a Roomba of doom. A Doomba.

6:35 Oh my goodness!! Freaking inbound alley-oop wakes up the masses and gets the bench onto their feet! Wow! That's one for the resume tape. Buckeyes by 25 with 10:55 to play.

6:37 Nifty under the basket inbound layup for Deshaun Thomas. When he “woots” for the ball, you have to get it to him!

6:40 Another dunk for Dallas. Up 62-32 now. Gus just called Ohio State a machine as well. We're like brothers, me and he.

6:44 Deshaun Thomas for three. I almost can't wait to see what he can become. I think he'll be a dominating rebounder on the offensive end, and his ability to score is going to be hard to top. His height and athleticism limit him, and as I type that he hits another three. He's got 13 points now. He's one of those guys that could stick around for a while because—and there's a sweet dunk from Jordan Sibert—he's one of those guys who could stick around longer than he expected because he's got shooting guard height, but not a shooting guard's game.

6:46 Aaron Craft has now had his pocket picked twice today. Somebody is going to have to pay for that, and the invoice is going to be written in blood. Fortunately he's gotten his first tourney game jitters out of the way and can be a lock down guard on Sunday.

6:53 There's still like three minutes left to play. The bench has been cleared. All four of it.

6:54 Lenzelle Smith just banked in a three-pointer from the wing. Why has he waited so long to showcase his sweet glass skills???

6:56 Walk-on Eddie Days comes in. He's never scored in his career. Now would be a good time.

6:58 The crowd is chanting “Eddie...Eddie...Eddie”. The Buckeyes are trying to get him a shot, but there's only 25 seconds to play. Ahhh...he missed a fader on the baseline. Buckeyes win 75-46 despite UTSA's worst efforts.

6:59 Exhibition season is over. It's time for George Mason. Sounds like that should be some type of beer, and I just became their spokesperson. "When I've had a rough day and I'm trying to forget about my problems, it's time for George Mason."

7:00 Well, the game is over. And my job is done. It's time for George Mason. Goodnight.

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