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An ESPN online poll Tuesday found 53 percent of voters believed Ohio State was not going to win the national championship this season.

The poll wasn't about the Buckeye's top-ranked football team, which is a strong favorite to win its second Bowl Championship Series trophy in four years. No, it concerned the OSU basketball team, ranked third and featuring arguably the most talented 7-footer in the country, freshman Greg Oden.

While it is easy to dismiss Ohio State as a basketball power - it hasn't won a national championship since 1960 when the team included Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and a feisty sixth man named Robert Knight - Oden is doing his level best to change those perceptions.

Since returning from offseason wrist surgery, Oden has played in three games and already has made a massive impact.

Recently, in a rout of Cincinnati, Oden scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked five shots in 27 minutes. As with many great shot blockers, not only is Oden distracting the opposition's post players, but he allows his deep and athletic Ohio State team the opportunity to overplay on defense.

If the Buckeyes get beat on the dribble, they've got a great big safety net close behind them.

"When he's out there, they definitely don't want to drive," said Buckeyes guard Mike Conley Jr. "When he's down low, he makes them think twice."

Already Oden is drawing comparisons to Patrick Ewing and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"When Greg committed to us I said we got the only big guy in the country who wants to be a center," said coach Thad Matta earlier this season. "We've always said he's got a high basketball IQ. He knows where he's good and what he does best."

However, the Buckeyes are more than a one-man team. Their lone loss has come at North Carolina. They face a big test Saturday at defending champion Florida.

On a guard-deep team, Ron Lewis and Daequan Cook combine to average more than 30 points, and Conley and Jamar Butler have collected more than 100 assists. Forward Ivan Harris provides a nice change of pace.

Just wait until Oden gets his playing legs. It could be scary.

"I've not been playing as much as these guys have," Oden said following the Cincinnati game. "They've been up and down all year, and I'm just getting started."

But what a start. Oden missed his first shot, then made the next 17, using all the big-man arsenal - dunks, short jump hooks and offensive rebound put-backs.

As Oden's wrist continues to heal and he plays himself into better shape, the offense will get better. Yet, as with Ewing who dominated the paint for Georgetown, it is Oden's defense that makes Ohio State a legitimate contender for a national championship.

It's been a good year for the Buckeyes - even the gymnastics team is ranked No. 2 in the country. With a football title there for the taking, what a coup it would be for the Buckeyes to take the basketball crown as well.

It might have to be this year. Oden isn't long for the college game.

martyr@

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