On Tuesday night, 2007 national runner-up Ohio State dropped its second exhibition game to Findlay 70-68. Isn't the entire point of an exhibition to manhandle lesser opponents that give up four inches and 30 pounds a man? Rust aside, people still expect a 35-point whitewash of a Division II opponent.
Maybe they should not count their eggs before they hatch. The University of Findlay stands at No. 5 in the D-II national rankings. Never mind that their entire roster hails from the "Birthplace of Aviation."
Findlay could have been inspired by the Ohio state motto – "With God, all things are possible" – to beat Ohio State's Thad Matta. Either some divine intervention helped Findlay, or Ohio State realized its roster lacks any sort of demi-god.
How good was manchild Greg Oden? How complimentary were fellow freshman Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook? How crucial was the shooting of Ron Lewis? With those four gone, don't expect another run to the title game.
When the upset score scrolled across the bottom of television screens across the country, one can imagine the double-takes from coach potatoes. Follow-up question: Where or what is Findlay? I checked, and it has nothing to do with Helsinki.
The private university in northwest Ohio does, however, house the largest collection of children's book illustrations in the country. No doubt it's a big recruiting ploy with freshmen.
Furthermore, Findley boasts a nationally-recognized equestrian studies program. The upset nearly left Matta hoarse.
"We will make this into a positive and we will continue to progress," he told reporters after the game. "It is really eye-opening and we will continue to stress the small things."
Thankfully for the Buckeyes, they can stress the fact that the loss did not count. And hey, they still have football and a "The" in front of their school's name.
Findlay's nickname – the Oilers – begged another question. Believe it or not, the pricy black stuff can be found in Ohio.
Unless Findlay takes home the D-II national title in the spring, the win over the Buckeyes will stand as their season's pinnacle moment. Not bad for a school that offers America's Next Top Model finalist Joanie Dodds as its most notable alum.
Coupled with Grand Valley State's Friday night shocker over No. 8 and Big Ten-favorite Michigan State, one sees that conference's struggles on the horizon in 2007-08. Last year, the Spartans trailed Grand Valley State for 38 minutes before stealing a victory. Be sure that Tom Izzo readied his roops before the 85-82 overtime loss.
Rather than being a couple of simple cases of the "that's why you play the game" notion, these exhibition losses gave fair warning that the Big Ten lost the flair of past years. When Michigan State's Drew Neitzel and Wisconsin's Brian Butch are the conference's top two players, play is lacking.
Come March, the Big Ten will play the part of a lower division team while the other Goliath conferences will beat them into submission. Expect just four Big Ten teams in the NCAA tournament, with none making the Sweet Sixteen.
Judging by their play, this forecast remains a more than logical prediction.