EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- John Lucas freely admits he's one
of Jameer Nelson's biggest fans.
The Oklahoma State guard admires Nelson's skill and really likes
his style -- especially the enormous tattoo that stretches across
his upper back.
"Yep ... 'All Eyes on Me," Lucas said Friday. "I think it's
great. That's how he feels. He plays that way, and he lives up to
it."
Lucas will get his chance to see Nelson up close when he leads
the second-seeded Cowboys against Saint Joseph's in the East
Rutherford Regional final.
"Tomorrow night, maybe all eyes will be on me," Lucas said.
"This is the moment I've been hoping for and praying for my whole
life."
In Nelson and Delonte West, the top-seeded Hawks have what many
consider the best backcourt in the nation. Lucas and Tony Allen are
pretty talented, too, and intend to prove it Saturday night with a
trip to the Final Four at stake.
Lucas, son of the former NBA star by the same name, is quick to
acknowledge he's seen a lot of Nelson this season. So have a lot of
people -- Nelson was a unanimous All-America pick.
"I've been watching him all year. I like what he does," Lucas
said. "He's a terrific player. I take a little of what he does off
him for my game."
Naturally, Lucas noticed the tattoo that stretches in big
letters across Nelson's upper back, from shoulder to shoulder.
Nelson got it last summer to go along with a smaller one reading
"No Fear" on his right arm.
"It took about three hours," the senior said. "It cost
enough."
Nelson brings his dizzying array of drives, spins and clever
shots into a matchup that Saint Joseph's (30-1) sees as speed vs.
strength. Coach Phil Martelli described Oklahoma State's bulky
front players as looking "like linemen."
As for suggestions that the guard tandems will decide it, Allen
disagrees. He's not being ornery, either -- like Lucas, he stuck
around to see some of the Hawks' 84-80 win over Wake Forest on
Thursday night and was duly impressed.
"I think it's all about buckets," Allen said. "The game ain't
going to be judged on quickness. You can be Carl Lewis, but the
game is going to come down to buckets."
Nelson pushes the Hawks at both ends of the court. He and West
open up a lot 3-point tries -- Saint Joseph's takes 24 treys per
game, twice as many as Oklahoma State (30-3).
"From day one, I had the green light to do whatever I wanted to
do," Nelson said. "Coach will usually leave it up to us."
Nelson has scored 81 points in three NCAA tournament games this
March while West has added 57. Their improvised style is a lot
different from the one employed by Oklahoma State coach Eddie
Sutton.
Martelli said he got only one hour of sleep after the Hawks'
latest win, instead staying up most of the night and morning to
study tape of the Cowboys. He said he jotted down 40 pages of their
plays, some of them signaled in by flash cards held up by assistant
coaches.
"They run a play every time down the court," Martelli said.
Said Sutton: "I don't know if it's 40 or not, but we've got a
lot."
"We do run a lot of set plays," he said. "I don't think it's
that complicated or confusing."
As of Friday afternoon, Sutton said he had not decided how he'd
guard the Hawks. Allen is the Cowboys' best defender and leads the
team with a 16-point average.
Allen scored 23 points to highlight a 63-51 win over Pittsburgh
in the regional semifinal. Lucas was limited to seven points, less
than half his average.
Chances are, Lucas will have to do much better for the Cowboys
to advance.
"They're one of the best backcourts in the nation and I feel
like we're one of the best backcourts," Lucas said. "But it's not
going to come down to who has the best backcourt. It will come down
to who has the best team."
The Cowboys intend to pound the ball inside and aggressively
defend the 3-point line in trying to earn their first Final Four
appearance since 1995, when they also won the regional at East
Rutherford. The Hawks' only trip to the Final Four came in 1961.
Saint Joseph's and Oklahoma State have never met in basketball --
at least, not officially.
Before changing its name to Oklahoma State in 1957, the school
was originally known as Oklahoma A&M. As the Aggies and later the
Cowboys, they went 3-2 against the Hawks in the 1940s, with every
game in Philadelphia.