Ohio State notes and video: Looking back at David Lighty and ahead to Tennessee

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) –

Looking back at David Lighty and ahead to Tennessee:

* Thad Matta can’t say how to buy prescription drugs without a prescription enough good things about David Lighty. He may wind up as one of Matta’s all-time favorites. He is still peeved that Lighty wasn’t on the Big Ten’s All-Defensive team, and he talked about what a great job Lighty did Sunday guarding bigger Georgia Tech players after Ohio State’s 75-66 win.

“He’s the best defender in college basketball,” Matta said. “He can guard any position on the floor. He did a great job moving around. And I forgot to say something in a timeout and he reminded me and he said, ‘Coach, you didn’t talk about this.’ He’s the best.”

I asked the players about it before they left for Milwaukee, and they said it then, that playing a team with two big players is actually an edge for Ohio State because Lighty is so quick, strong and athletic and difficult for a bigger player to guard. Meanwhile, Lighty can hold his own guarding the post.

“If you’re in a fight with a big guy, you’re not going to stand there and go toe-to-toe with,” Lighty said. “You’ve got to stick and move.”

He did it all game.

None of the Buckeyes were too caught up in the win, especially Lighty, who has seen this all before during the Final Four run his freshman year.

“You don’t think too much, like ‘Oh my goodness, this game is a big game, oh my gosh, if we win we’re going to the Elite Eight.’ You’ve got to approach it like you have confidence in yourself and your teammates,” Lighty said, “and it’ll fall into place.”

* Friday’s Sweet 16 game with Tennessee will be the fourth game between the schools in just over three years. Two matchups were part of a regular season home-and-home series, while the other was a Sweet 16 win for the Buckeyes in their last Final Four season.

Ohio State 68, Tennessee 66, Jan. 13, 2007

Ohio State 85, Tennessee 84, March 22, 2007

Tennessee 74, Ohio State 69, Jan. 19, 2008

The teams have changed, obviously. David Lighty played in all three games, and juniors Evan Turner (21 points in 37 minutes), Jon Diebler (0 points in 20 minutes) and Dallas Lauderdale (didn’t play) were around for the ’08 loss at Tennessee. But the best info may come from former Ohio State assistant John Groce, who as the Ohio head coach lost to the Volunteers on…..