CENTERS’ STAGE

ATLANTA —  The starting centers in today’s NCAA national semifinal game between Ohio State (34-3) and Georgetown (30-6) at the Georgia Dome have played a combined 132 collegiate games without attempting a three-point shot.

Greg Oden of Ohio State is a 7-foot freshman, Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert is a 7-2 junior.

“I’ve never taken a three-pointer in my career and I do not plan on it,” Hibbert said Friday as reporters scribbled.

These are centers who actually play center, with their backs to the basket. Neither thinks he is a guard in the wrong body.

What a concept.

This kind of matchup happens so infrequently now in the college game that the news becomes front and center.

In fact, neither Georgetown nor Ohio State would be two games from winning the national title without the stellar play of their guards.

Jonathan Wallace’s game-tying three-point basket in regulation allowed Georgetown to beat North Carolina in overtime, and Ohio State’s Ron Lewis’ three-point basket forced overtime and an eventual victory over Xavier.

But that’s small stuff compared to talk of Oden vs. Hibbert.

“Maybe this is the year of the big guy,” Hibbert mused.

There have been other years.

In 1968, Lew Alcindor and Elvin Hayes, the centers for UCLA and Houston, epically met at the Astrodome.

In 1982, there was Patrick Ewing of Georgetown vs. Virginia’s Ralph Sampson and, of course, the 1984 NCAA title game had Ewing and Houston’s Akeem Olajuwon squaring off in the middle.

So how does this compare?

“We are not talking about Patrick and Olajuwon, trust me,” John Thompson, who coached Georgetown to 1984 victory, said.

Thompson, whose son John has led the Hoyas to their first Final Four since 1985, said Hibbert and Oden were “novices” by comparison.

Ewing and Olajuwon were seasoned juniors at the time they played.

Oden is a freshman; Hibbert is a junior who is anything but a finished product.

College basketball has changed in 20 years.

“All the big guys went the way of the buffalo,” the elder Thompson lamented.

Most of the best players don’t stick around to see their junior year. Oden is probably in college only because of the NBA’s new minimum age rule.

“I think a lot of times the big guys have the chance to make more of an impact [in the NBA] earlier,” Ohio State Coach Thad Matta said. “But I think obviously it’s good for college basketball that these guys are here.”

Oden seemed surprised the big man matchup was creating such a buzz.

“The game is five on five,” Oden said. “There’s one post player in five guys.”

So it has been over-hyped?

“I think so, but I don’t really care,” Oden said.

He said he was looking forward going eye-to-eye against Hibbert but added, “I’d rather play a guy who’s smaller than me.”

Hibbert said he was excited to be facing Oden, regarded as the finest incoming college freshman in years.

“I didn’t know how rare it was until the last two days when people started asking all these questions,” Hibbert said. “This is fun.”

Oden is the younger but far more accomplished player. He made first-team All American as a freshman in leading the Buckeyes to the Final Four.

Both Oden and Hibbert wear size 18 shoes and were 6-8 in the eighth grade.

Oden averages 15.4 points and 9.5 rebounds. Hibbert is averaging 12.7 and 6.9.

The difference between the two? Oden is a work-in-present while Hibbert is a work in progress.

Once an uncoordinated player who had trouble dunking the ball, Hibbert has improved each season, his scoring average rising from 5.1 to 11.6 to 12.7.

“It’s a challenge,” he said of going against Oden. “People were saying before that I couldn’t play at the college level, that I was awkward. I like challenges. I like to prove people wrong.”

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Ohio State vs. Georgetown

Today at the Georgia Dome

* Ohio State is 34-3 and was the No. 1-seeded team in the South Regional.

* Georgetown is 30-6 and was the No. 2-seeded team in the East Regional.

* Game time: Today, 3 p.m. PDT; Channel 2.

*--* STARTERS OHIO STATE Ht. Wt. Stats Pos GEORGETOWN Ht. Wt. Stats Ivan Harris 6-7 220 7.6 ppg F DaJuan 6-8 241 9.3 ppg Summers Mike Conley 6-1 180 6.1 apg G|F Jeff Green 6-9 235 14.4 ppg Jr. Greg Oden 7-0 280 15.4 ppg C Roy Hibbert 7-2 278 6.9 rpg Jamar Butler 6-2 205 85.5% FTs G Jonathan 6-1 188 11.2 ppg Wallace Ron Lewis 6-4 200 12.8 ppg G Jessie Sapp 6-3 205 3.4 apg RESERVES Daequan Cook 6-5 210 10.2 ppg G|F Patrick 6-8 238 4.2 ppg Ewing Jr. Othello 6-9 225 6.0 ppg F|G Jeremiah 6-4 205 1.3 ppg Hunter Rivers David Lighty 6-6 220 3.6 ppg G Tyler 6-3 205 1.5 rpg Crawford HOW THEY MATCH UP

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* INSIDE -- It may start and end with the big men: Ohio State’s Oden vs. Georgetown’s Hibbert. Oden doesn’t look down on many players he faces, but he’s giving away two inches to the 7-2 Hibbert. Oden is the more polished player, with comparisons to Bill Russell. The freshman averages 15.4 points and 9.5 rebounds and also has 100 blocked shots this season. He’s scored as many as 29 points in a game (against Iowa) and had 19 rebounds against Purdue. Hibbert has taken longer to develop but has improved dramatically of late. He has recorded five straight double-double games in points and rebounds. Georgetown’s size has given teams problems all season. Not only do they come at you with Hibbert, the 6-8 Summers and 6-9 Green, but they also bring size off the bench in the 6-9 Macklin and the 6-8 Ewing.

* OUTSIDE -- Conley, a freshman, and Lewis, a senior, have been terrific for the Buckeyes. Conley played 40 minutes against Memphis in the South Regional final, scoring 19 points, and making five of 11 field-goal attempts and nine of 10 free throws. Lewis was the hero against Xavier, making the game-tying three-point basket to force overtime. In the tournament, he is averaging 21.8 points. He has also made all 21 of his free throws. Georgetown has a pretty good guard of its own in Wallace, whose three-pointer in the regional final against North Carolina tied the score with 31.9 seconds left and forced overtime. Wallace scored 19 points in that victory and also had 15 in the Hoyas’ second-round win over Boston College.

* COACHING -- Controlling tempo may be the key to victory in this game, and Georgetown’s John Thompson III knows all about pace. He played and coached for Pete Carril at Princeton, and runs a version of his clock-control, backdoor-pass system. Thompson doesn’t panic under pressure. The Hoyas have started the same lineup the last 33 games. Thompson showed composure when his team trailed North Carolina by 10 points in the second half. Unlike his famous father, Thompson keeps his temper in check during games. The son also rises? As a game coach, well, Thad Matta is a terrific recruiter. You may not have to be a great at Xs and O’s when you recruited Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. in the same season. This may be the best freshman haul since Michigan landed the Fab Five.

* KEY -- It’s going to come down to whether the game officials allow Oden and Hibbert to use their muscle on the inside. If the refs are calling a tight game, and either Oden or Hibbert gets in foul trouble, the game may be handed over to the rest of the players on the court. And there’s no telling how that might turn out.

* PREDICTION -- Georgetown 68, Ohio State 62.

--CHRIS DUFRESNE