Response by Big Men in Physical Game Factors Into Kansas' Victory NEW ORLEANS - The Final Four game between Ohio State and Kansas was breathtakingly physical; a game of inches as the big men cleared out space inside the key. That physicality was particularly challenging for the game's best players: Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and Kansas" Thomas Robinson. In the second half, each player was aggressively knocked to the floor without a call by the officials. Robinson got up and played his best stretch of the game. Sullinger did not. On this night, that was the difference between the two players and their teams. Sullinger did not have a good first half, shooting only 3 of 8 from the field. But he established deep position in the post and touched the ball on every possession, allowing the Buckeyes to run their offense through him. As a result, Ohio State shot 46 percent from the field, looking dominant on their way to a 9-point halftime lead. That changed over the course of two possessions early in the second half when Jeff Withey blocked Sullinger's shot three times. Minutes later, on a missed 3-point attempt by Sullinger, Withey aggressively boxed out Sullinger, knocking him to the ground. It was a harrowing stretch for the future N.B.A. lottery pick from Ohio State; he looked physically outmatched in the paint, where he usually thrives. From that point forward, he wasn't the same player. He drifted outside, took jump shots and generally stopped fighting for deep post position. Even worse, his teammates stopped looking for him in the post; an undoubtedly subconscious, but very real response to his struggles. As a result, Ohio State'd offense stalled. They shot only 24 percent from the field in the second half. Sullinger was the worst culprit, shooting only 2 of 11 in the second half. Faced with a similar situation, Robinson reacted the opposite way. Midway through the second half, Robinson and Ohio State's Evan Ravanel got tangled up fighting for position under the basket. The muscluar Ravanel threw Robinson to the floor. There was no call, and to add insult to injury, Ravenel continued to jockey with Robinson, almost stepping on him as he attempted to stand back up. Robinson was clearly upset, but his response was dazzling. Physically challenged, Robinson proceeded to dominate almost every aspect of the game. He aggressively called for the ball, scoring at will in the half court. He rebounded with a fury that was missing early in the contest. With 53 seconds left, Robinson jumped a passing lane at the top of the key and recorded a key steal that helped seal the victory. During that stretch, he established himself as the best player on the floor. Unlike Sullinger, Robinson refused to be either frustrated or pushed around by the physical play of the opposing big men. Both Sullinger and Robinson are great college basketball players, but on this night the two had remarkably different responses to adversity. Sullinger said after the game, "When they saw blood, they attacked us, and we were not able to pick it up." Sullinger had it wrong. The Jayhawks didn't attack because they saw blood. They attacked after they got knocked down. If Sullinger had the same response, his Buckeyes would be playing Kentucky Wildcats on Monday.