Greg Oden Is Not "The Man"

The stage is now set. Ohio State and Florida, the top two teams in the nation, will do battle Monday night for the NCAA Championship. And who really cares?

Well, I sure don't. But I realize that a lot of people still do, and for good reason. The biggest contingent of people that definitely should care are Ohio State fans - obviously - since the future of their program pretty much depends on how the Buckeyes fare tomorrow night. But the storyline for tomorrow night shouldn't be the Gators searching for a second consecutive national championship (the way they beat up on Ohio State last time around, it might not even be worth watching) or Greg Oden's decision to stay or go.

You wanna know the real storyline tomorrow night? Because here's some inside information, from of all people (sigh), Andy Katz. For once in my life, I read an Andy Katz article all the way through without vomiting. And for once, he shares the exact same opinion that I do - tomorrow night's game comes down to Mike Conley, Jr.

In his article, Katz says:

When will Conley get his due? Well, maybe when he's receiving the tournament's most outstanding player award Monday night. Forget that he's a freshman because you could legitimately make an argument that Conley was the most valuable point guard in the country this season.

And he's right, Conley HAS BEEN the most valuable point guard in the country this year. He's clearly been more valuable to the Buckeyes than Oden, who has spent far too much time sitting on the bench injured or in foul trouble or just breathing too heavily. Mike Conley, Jr. is the heart and soul of the Ohio State Buckeyes. And if they have any shot of winning tomorrow night, it will be because of him.

He came through in the clutch during the Big Ten Tournament and torched Memphis in the NCAA Tournament. So, what will Conley do next? And if the Buckeyes win, will it be because of Oden or Conley? Or maybe neither...