By BRUCE HOOLEY
FoxSportsOhio.com
Feb. 16, 2011
He is trying to do something that's never been done before, and only the next six weeks will show whether Ohio State coach Thad Matta is more nutty professor than he is genius.
Fourteen games from now, if Matta is standing on the stage in Houston's Reliant Stadium with a nylon net around his neck, a goofy hat on his head and his hands around an NCAA Championship trophy, he can gloat that he was right all along.
But if the second-ranked Buckeyes fall short of the Final Four, swept out of the post-season for a second straight year by an opponent with a deeper bench and fresher legs in the final minutes, Matta will hear a chorus of I told you so's.
Ohio State's 71-61 bounce-back victory over Michigan State last night at Value City Arena supplied ammunition for both arguments.
Those who fret over OSU having less depth than the average kiddie pool can point to the win as proof that the apocalypse won't ensue if Matta uses the guys on his bench for something besides holding the chairs in place.
And those who believe the Ohio State coach should stick with his routine of riding the starters like a pack mule will cite the failure to shake Michigan State early as confirmation the Buckeyes can barely stay afloat with anyone beyond super sub Aaron Craft in the lineup.
As congenial a guy as there is in the coaching profession, Matta is more tolerant of the second-guessing than anyone in his business would be who's 25-1 overall, 12-1 in the Big Ten and bearing down on a fourth Big Ten title in six seasons.
"We've practiced 116 times and we're 26 games into the year," Matta said of those who second-guess his rotation. "So much goes into the thought process of (who plays certain minutes). It does not faze me. We just sort of keep on rolling."
OSU survived with freshman Jared Sullinger playing only 27 minutes, matching his league low recorded in an 87-64 rout of Purdue three weeks ago.
Sullinger sat the last 7:41 of the first half with two personals and the Buckeyes' empire didn't crumble.
Dallas Lauderdale even chipped in two field goals during his absence, and Ohio State owned a 35-34 halftime lead amid the nightmare of its national player-of-the-year candidate's forced exit.
Maybe that will prompt Matta to dig deeper into his bench in the future, but don't count on it.
William Buford played 40 minutes and David Lighty 38, with Craft getting 35.
DeShaun Thomas, who was getting 10 or more minutes through the first half of the Big Ten season, followed a brief six-minute appearance in the Wisconsin loss with just half that time on the floor against MSU.
"We tried to get DeShaun some more minutes, but they went small down the stretch, so we couldn't do it," Matta said. "DeShaun has practiced so well, we want to get him in. He can score it and his defense is getting a lot better."
Maybe that will happen Sunday at Purdue, but unless you're prone to betting the Browns to win the Super Bowl, it's best not to wager on Matta making good on that possibility.
Two-thirds into the season, he's not about to pull on a lab coat and start experimenting.
Whether it's the perfectionist in him or the rebel, he clearly can't stomach putting a lineup on the floor that's not his best.
If that means trying to whip the Buckeyes to a national championship with a bench shorter than Eddie Gadel, so be it.
"Maybe they do get tired, I don't know," Matta said. "If guys get tired, they picked the wrong coach, because I don't allow myself to get tired. I'm being serious. That's sort of how I approach it."
He approached it the same last year until Tennessee eliminated Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen.
The Volunteers appeared to bother OSU with substitutions in waves. Matta didn't buy it then, however, and he wasn't buying that weary legs and burning lungs factored into the Buckeyes letting a 15-point lead slip away in the second half at Wisconsin.
'I've never bought into the fatigue factor," Matta said. "
