SAY WHAT?!? Ohio State guard Aaron Craft, practicing yesterday, and the Buckeyes got some bulletin-board material from Iona (inset) heading into tonight’s NCAA Tournament clash. (
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DAYTON, Ohio — It’s terrific that Iona believes, believes it can shock big, bad Ohio State and shock the world tonight. It’s what March Madness is all about, especially this March, when there are no John Wooden UCLA Bruins, no 1976 Indiana Hoosiers.
One problem: Iona has awakened a sleeping giant.
The Post has learned that copies of Wednesday’s Post, in which the Gaels talked the talked, were placed in the lockers of each Buckeyes player Wednesday.
Aaron Craft, the rosy-cheeked former schoolboy quarterback/safety who will doggedly be checking Momo Jones’ tonsils, had his back to the wall when a man with a camera began: “LaQuinton Ross said that he passed around the article out of the New York Post with Iona talking about being a confident team and expecting to win — what are your thoughts on that? Is that bulletin board material, or is that just what happens in high level basketball?”
“It is what it is,” Craft said. “They have a lot of confidence, and I think we have cause to have a lot of confidence, too. We’ve been playing really good basketball, and hopefully it continues.”
Craft said he was aware of what the Gaels said in the article.
“We saw it, we read it. … It’s been in the locker room, that’s all it is.”
Could that be used as motivation?
“I think we’re trying to keep us as even as possible, we don’t want to go out too excited, too hyped up on anything really, and that’s something that can really kinda get us out of our game trying to do too much,” Craft said, “so we’re just trying to focus on what we need to do, and let the basketball talk for itself.”
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The Post article also found its way into a cramped quarter of the locker room, into the hands of 6-foot-8, 260-pound senior named Evan Ravenal.
“There was a copy of the article put it my locker,” Ravenal said. “It’s basketball. Guys are gonna talk.
“Do I kinda respect the time and place they chose to talk? No but … that’s just basketball.
“They’re a confident group of guys. … They believe in what their team can do and think they can win the game.
“Every team goes into the game thinking they can win the game, that’s the mentality you gotta have,” Ravenal said.
Did any of the guys mention the article?
“Yeah, the coaches, some of my teammates, yes they did,” Ravenal said.
What did they say?
“They were like, ‘These guys are talking mess, these guys are talking about they can beat us,’ and then we held a very competitive practice, like it kinda fueled a couple of guys,” Ravenal said.
That’s something Ravenal said he thinks will carry over the game.
“It should. I hope it does,” Ravenal said. “This is probably the most competitive team I’ve ever played for. No one likes losing. So I think it’s gonna bring out the best in all of us.”
The Gaels — Loyola Marymount to Ohio State’s ’85 Bears — showed up last night with their expect-to-win swag, although they were adamant that they never predicted a win over the Buckeyes.
“Kemba Walker is one of my good friends,” Momo said. “He came out with a ton of confidence, and he won the championship. It went from him, to the 12th man on the bench, and everybody was able to step up and help that (UConn) team win the national championship.”
Someone alerted Momo that the Ohio State players had been talking about the Post article.
“Whether or not they got something put up in their locker room, or something that fuels their fire, we got a lot of things that fuel our fire,” Momo said. “So just like they’re gonna come out with fuel in their tank, we’re gonna come out with fuel in our tank, and, you know, may the best man win.
“I feel like we can win the game,” Momo said. “If they’re mad about that, then so be it.”
steve.serby@nypost.com