The Florida Gators captured their second consecutive NCAA men’s basketball championship Monday, but Ohio State’s Greg Oden came out the real winner.
The 7-foot freshman center was the most impressive player on the court in a losing effort. Oden’s spectacular performance almost overshadowed the Gators accomplishment of being the first team since Duke in 1991-92 to repeat.

Oden was a man among boys. He dominated Florida’s impressive trio of big men — Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Chris Richard. Horford and Noah will probably be NBA first-round draft picks this year.

Oden has the rare combination of agility, timing and an innate feel for the game. Against the Gators, Oden was unstoppable on offense, avoided the foul trouble that had plagued him in earlier tournament games and was a defensive force with five blocks.
Oden and Texas freshman Kevin Durant were being discussed as the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft. But Oden’s performance in the title game secured him the top spot and the millions of dollars that go with it.

With the NBA’s two best big men — Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan — on the downside of their careers, Oden should step in and be a factor in the NBA right away and the best post player in the league for many years. The chance of Oden remaining at Ohio State seems remote. If he decides to stay, along with his former high school teammate and fellow freshman Mike Conley Jr., the Buckeyes will win the title next year.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007 at 4:18 pm and is filed under Sports Insiders. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.