Oden spent much of the season with his right hand in a cast and instead of whining and making excuses, the big man went old school and just went to his left hand. The overall effect of making the majority of his shots with his left hand — including his free throws — will likely make Oden a better player throughout his career. He leads the Buckeyes with an average of 15.4 ppg, 9.5 rebounds a night and 100 blocked shots.

His ability to swat away shots and make himself a presence on the defensive end gives the Buckeyes a legitimate chance to be the dominant team in Atlanta. In the win over Tennessee, Oden was a non-factor in the first half because he got into early foul trouble and the Vols were on fire in the first 20 minutes.

But Oden was back on the court in the second half and the team rose dramatically with their stopper refusing to give an inch. The numbers did not stand out—he had 9 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes — but he was intimidating Tennessee with is considerable presence. That assertion was proven by a look at the box score. The Volunteers shot 55.9 percent in the first half, but that figure slipped to 39.2 percent in the second half.

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Conley has not gotten as many headlines as his former high school teammate, but all he has done is create space for his teammates and set a school record for assists with 226. Conley does not look to pass at the expense of his own shot. He is averaging 11.0 ppg and is shooting 51.4 percent from the field.

Pro scouts are drooling over both players. While Oden has not indicated what he will do next year, Conley has established that he will be back in Columbus — a decision he hopes Oden will come to as well.

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“Yeah, I’ll be back,” Conley Jr. told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “I’m just like (Oden). I feel I’ve got a lot of work to do before I can even think about going to the next level. He feels the same way sometimes. I don’t know what decision he’ll make, but it’s the same way with me. I’m still worried about this year and not worried about what’s going to happen next year.”

Ohio State opponents are hoping that Oden decides to say goodbye and that Conley will change his mind. But for now, those two come fully prepared to Atlanta with the hope of bringing the Buckeyes the national championship that escaped them in football.

Nothing scares this team — not even a 20-point deficit.