PORTLAND, Ore. — When Thad Matta and Sean Miller see each other Saturday before their teams square for the right to go to the Sweet 16, there will be a friendly reminder from the Ohio State head coach to his friend and former colleague.
"First thing I do when I'm shaking hands, I'm trying to get my $400 I loaned him back in 1999," Matta said Friday. "He never repaid me for all the lunches I bought him."
In case you hadn't heard, Matta and Miller go back a long way. The two were on the same coaching staff at Miami (Ohio) in 1994-95 and Miller was an assistant under Matta at Xavier from 2001-04. They've been friends for over 20 years.
They remain in contact now and speak quite often, though both said it is difficult to speak as much throughout the course of a season. Miller, now the head coach at Arizona, said from November through March, their talks usually come via text message. "There's always a handful of times we speak during the year."
It's a unique situation when two friends coach against each other, but it's not entirely uncommon, especially in the case of Matta and Miller. They've met twice now since 2004 when Miller took over as the head coach at Xavier after Matta left to lead the Buckeyes. Both times came in the NCAA tournament.
"Inevitably, if you're in this tournament you're going to find yourself matched up against friends or former places that you've been," Miller said. "It just seems to be part of the storyline that makes the tournament."
The first time came back in the 2007 NCAA tournament when Ohio State met Xavier in the second round. The top-seeded Buckeyes won that game, 78-71 in overtime, thanks to a 3-pointer by Ron Lewis which tied the game and sent it to the extra period.
“Those were some classic moments. I hope like crazy it comes down to something like that tomorrow.”– Thad Matta
In the 2013 Sweet 16, Matta and Miller met again, this time in an Ohio State-Arizona matchup. That game was another heartbreaker for Miller as LaQuinton Ross buried a game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left.
The two battles thus far have gone Matta's way. Miller probably feels like he's due for a win.
"Those were some classic moments," Matta said. "You know, it's been amazing. I hope like crazy it comes down to something like that tomorrow."
It appears this time like Miller's Wildcats may have the advantage. At least it looks that way on paper; Arizona is loaded.
The Wildcats are 32-3 on the year and won both the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles. They have NBA-caliber talent at multiple positions on the floor and are a legitimate threat to cut the nets down in Indianapolis as national champions.
"It's going to be a tremendous challenge for us," Matta said.
Miller and Matta will shake hands and share laughs before the game. Then, they'll go back and coach as hard as they can against each other for 40 minutes. Once the ball is thrown into the air that feeling of facing one of your best friends will go away quickly.
When it's all said and done there will be a winner and a loser. But as the two walk toward each other for their post-game handshake, it'll be a bittersweet moment for the winner.
"I think in terms of tomorrow, if we're fortunate enough to win, it's one of those that you kind of feel bad going down shaking the hand," Matta said. "But, you know, it sort of is what it is."
