Hoyas' Hibbert holds his own

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ATLANTA -- If this was Roy Hibbert's last game at Georgetown, the junior center left in impressive fashion.

The 7-foot-2 center matched Ohio State All-American Greg Oden when he was in the game and was only limited by foul trouble. Oden, a freshman expected to be the first pick in the NBA Draft whenever he comes out, called Hibbert the toughest player he has played against.

"He shot over me a bunch of times, so you can see what he can do," said Oden, who also dealt with foul trouble and scored 13 points in 20 minutes. "He's big. That is how he got his shots."

It wasn't exactly the battle many had hoped for since neither played more than 24 minutes. However, Hibbert displayed excellent footwork going around Oden and getting good looks on his hook shots. And Hibbert proved to be a major obstacle in front of the Buckeyes' big man.

Oden countered with athleticism and explosiveness, but the monumental matchup was largely a push.

"I think we complement each other out there. I don't know if he will say that, but I felt it was good battle," Hibbert said. "It was a fun game. I would play that game over and over and over. I would play different cards though."

Georgetown's big man, who has transformed from a gawky freshman into a refined junior, went 9-for-13 from the field and had 19 points and six rebounds. He picked up his fourth foul with 8:50 remaining in a tie game and was out as the Buckeyes built their lead. Hibbert did hit a 17-foot jumper to cut Ohio State's margin to 54-48 and used a hook over Oden to make it 56-50 with 4:24 remaining.