Paging Dr. Freud

Ohio State thumped Dayton last night to advance to the NIT Semifinals in New York. That’s the good news. The bad news is Ohio State is on a collision course with its most recent (intertwined) nemeses: the University of Florida and the SEC. Ohio State takes on Ole Miss on April 1, 2008 at 9:00pm.

For whatever reason, Ohio State has not fared well versus Florida or the SEC. So, the potential for two straight games against the SEC, and a finale against the Gators must motivate the Buckeyes to gain a small measure of exorcism, right?

Freud would almost certainly say that Buckeye Nation is developing defense mechanisms due to the recent results. (Level 4 defense mechanisms to be sure.) After all, who among us has not defended Ohio State in the face of SEC revelers? But has that spread to the players?

Ohio State defeated Florida 62-49 on December 22, 2007, in the Schott, which was hailed as a possible turning point in the relationship between Ohio State and the Southeastern Conference. That was before LSU, however. So, now what? I imagine Ohio State fans everywhere are conjuring old memories and recent fears.

Do you think the players affected by the recent past? According to Freud, we need to know and interpret their dreams to get our answer. Or, we can wait until next Tuesday night to find out.