Columbus -- Thad Matta isn't sure what he'll say during what could be an awkward pre-game chat Thursday night between the new Ohio State basketball coach and Bob Knight, the jilted legend who presumably wanted the job and wasn't asked.
When it comes to the subject of Knight facing his alma mater, the words Matta won't speak before the game might be more important than the words he will.
"I don't know Coach well, but the one thing I'm sure he probably wouldn't want is me commenting on his thoughts," Matta said. "So, I'm going to leave that one alone." That's probably a wise choice, given Knight's edgy disposition Tuesday when asked about facing the school that left him waiting 16 days this past June before informing him he wouldn't be asked to replace the fired Jim O'Brien.
"My feelings haven't changed about the university at all," Knight said. "I've always had a tremendous appreciation for being able to go to school and play basketball at Ohio State."
When the same question was spun differently, Knight wasn't thrilled to be asked about his feelings toward Ohio State's administration.
"I don't need any spins on that same question," he said. "If you want to talk about the basketball game, that's fine. I think however Ohio State chooses to handle things, that's their prerogative. I have no problems with any way Ohio State has handled things in any way, as far as I'm concerned."
Knight's status as a reserve on OSU's 1960 NCAA championship team and the three NCAA titles he won at Indiana put him on the wish list of old-school Ohio State fans hoping for his return to the Buckeyes.
After Matta was hired, however, it became clear that Knight's candidacy never gained serious consideration from OSU Athletic Director Andy Geiger or the search committee he formulated.
"[Knight] was brought up in one of the first meetings, and it was quickly dropped," junior captain Terence Dials said on the day Matta was introduced as head coach. "There wasn't too much to say. He wasn't a fit for this program. I let Andy Geiger handle all that, because that was his doing. I think [Knight] pretty much wasn't even a prospect for the job. The media made it more than it really was."
Dials, curiously, was not made available to reporters Tuesday after scoring a career-high 25 points in OSU's 78-54 victory over Portland State on Saturday.
Matta favors an offense heavy on three-point attempts, while Knight is married to the motion offense that's been his trademark in a 38-year career which has a record of 668-239.
The Xs and Os of the game at American Airlines Arena in Dallas aren't nearly as interesting, however, as the undercurrents of the Matta-Knight matchup.
"Honestly, we're not playing one-on-one," Matta said.
But, if you were, could you take him?
"I doubt it," Matta said, laughing. "He was a pretty good player, from what I've heard."
When it comes to the subject of Knight facing his alma mater, the words Matta won't speak before the game might be more important than the words he will.
"I don't know Coach well, but the one thing I'm sure he probably wouldn't want is me commenting on his thoughts," Matta said. "So, I'm going to leave that one alone." That's probably a wise choice, given Knight's edgy disposition Tuesday when asked about facing the school that left him waiting 16 days this past June before informing him he wouldn't be asked to replace the fired Jim O'Brien.
"My feelings haven't changed about the university at all," Knight said. "I've always had a tremendous appreciation for being able to go to school and play basketball at Ohio State."
When the same question was spun differently, Knight wasn't thrilled to be asked about his feelings toward Ohio State's administration.
"I don't need any spins on that same question," he said. "If you want to talk about the basketball game, that's fine. I think however Ohio State chooses to handle things, that's their prerogative. I have no problems with any way Ohio State has handled things in any way, as far as I'm concerned."
Knight's status as a reserve on OSU's 1960 NCAA championship team and the three NCAA titles he won at Indiana put him on the wish list of old-school Ohio State fans hoping for his return to the Buckeyes.
After Matta was hired, however, it became clear that Knight's candidacy never gained serious consideration from OSU Athletic Director Andy Geiger or the search committee he formulated.
"[Knight] was brought up in one of the first meetings, and it was quickly dropped," junior captain Terence Dials said on the day Matta was introduced as head coach. "There wasn't too much to say. He wasn't a fit for this program. I let Andy Geiger handle all that, because that was his doing. I think [Knight] pretty much wasn't even a prospect for the job. The media made it more than it really was."
Dials, curiously, was not made available to reporters Tuesday after scoring a career-high 25 points in OSU's 78-54 victory over Portland State on Saturday.
Matta favors an offense heavy on three-point attempts, while Knight is married to the motion offense that's been his trademark in a 38-year career which has a record of 668-239.
The Xs and Os of the game at American Airlines Arena in Dallas aren't nearly as interesting, however, as the undercurrents of the Matta-Knight matchup.
"Honestly, we're not playing one-on-one," Matta said.
But, if you were, could you take him?
"I doubt it," Matta said, laughing. "He was a pretty good player, from what I've heard."
