GEORGETOWN (30-6) vs. OHIO ST. (34-3)
When: Tomorrow, 6:07 p.m.
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta.
TV/Radio: CBS3/WPEN (950-AM).
History: The Hoyas won a second-round NCAA meeting last year, 70-52. The series is 2-2.
Coaches: John Thompson III is 72-29 in 3 years at Georgetown and 140-71 in 7 years overall. Thad Matta is 80-21 in 3 years at Ohio State, 182-52 in 7 years overall.
How they got here: No. 2 Georgetown defeated No. 15 Belmont, 80-55, No. 7 Boston College, 62-55, No. 6 Vanderbilt, 66-65, and No. 1 North Carolina, 96-84 (OT), to win the East Regional. No. 1 Ohio State defeated No. 16 Central Connecticut State, 78-57, No. 9 Xavier, 78-71 (OT), No. 5 Tennessee, 85-84, and No. 2 Memphis, 92-76, to win the South Regional.
Three things Georgetown must do:
1. Give the Buckeyes different looks on defense while trying to keep Mike Conley Jr. (the holder of OSU's season assist and steal records) out of the lane.
2. Let Jonathan Wallace (15 assists, two turnovers, 53.1 percent shooting in the NCAA) and Jeff Green (18.0 points in seven postseason games) make as many decisions as possible.
3. Keep the ball moving side to side on offense so Greg Oden (school season-record 100 blocks) can't just hang out in the lane waiting to change or block anything close to the hoop.
Three things Ohio State must do:
1. Get to the foul line, where it has attempted 311 more shots than opponents, because the Buckeyes don't foul (second fewest nationally).
2. Have Ron Lewis (21.8 points in the NCAA, 12-for-26 from the arc, 21-for-21 from the foul line) continue on fire.
3. Play a lot of zone to keep Oden out of foul trouble and not let the Hoyas' offense get too comfortable against man-to-man.
Key players
Ohio State: Greg Oden. Can affect offenses without ever blocking a shot, because any player near the lane feels his presence. Has much better offensive game than he has shown, because his surgically repaired right wrist impaired him much of the season and his jump-shooting teammates often ignore him.
Georgetown: Jeff Green. The toughest matchup in college hoops probably will force Ohio State to play even more zone than normal. If he gets the ball with space to maneuver, he is the classic triple threat (drive, pass, shoot), who invariably makes the right decision, because he sees a snapshot of the court.
