Kevin Durant's pops can say what he wants. Greg Oden can maintain a decision hasn't been made yet.
This is it for The Freshman Duo.
Don't plead for more. Consider yourself fortunate that you were able to see the sweet-shooting Durant and his picturesque long-range jumper in Austin, Texas at all. Don't whine that Oden missed the first seven games of the season. Just appreciate that the most intimidating defensive big man spent any time on a college campus.
Catch them while you can because this is it. Any game could be their last — and then it's off to NBA purgatory (that's what we call Memphis or Boston these days).
Thank NBA commish David Stern for the Longhorns and Buckeyes getting these guys for one year. He's the one who implemented the rule that kids can't go straight out of high school.
Oden and Durant are two of the most talented players to play college basketball in a long, long time. Thad Matta can say what he wants, but Oden wasn't coming to Columbus unless the rule was instituted.
You'll hear the rumors that they will return for another season of college ball — a la Joakim Noah. I know that both players are still attending all of their classes and have said all the right things about keeping the door open. However, it's not going to happen. They are history and off to the NBA.
That's why this NCAA tournament is so special.
Oden and Durant — two guys who we may be talking about among the NBA's all-time greats sometime down the road.
Oden and the Buckeyes get started Thursday night at 7:10 p.m. ET against No. 16 seed Central Connecticut State. I honestly feel bad for Howie Dickenman and the Blue Devils. Oden would have to play on his knees to give Central Connecticut a realistic chance.
Durant and Co. will face New Mexico State Friday night at 7:25 out in Spokane, Wash. The fourth-seeded Texas Longhorns are the heavy favorite, but it's not out of the question that Durant's collegiate career could be over by this weekend.
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Durant isn't Kevin Garnett or Tracy McGrady. Don't compare Oden to Al Jefferson or Andrew Bynum. Those guys went to the league without a following. No one knew Kevin Garnett from his days at Farragut. Tracy McGrady may have put Mount Zion on the map, but he was virtually anonymous until he got to the NBA. Jefferson was a nobody coming out of Mississippi.
Durant already has developed an avid national fan base. He's been on television all season. Ditto for Oden after playing three-quarters of the season in Columbus for Matta and the Buckeyes.
Whether you love them or are jealous of their instant success, they have proven themselves for a year in college.
Durant is unquestionably the National Player of the Year. He averaged 25.6 points and 11.3 rebounds, sank more than 80 percent of his free throws and hit on 42 percent of his 3-pointers. You can forget about Alando Tucker.
Oden's numbers were far more modest, but he was just shy of averaging a double-double (15.5 ppg, 9.7 rpg). He also blocked 3.5 shots per game and caused opponents shooting percentages to tumble downward.
The best thing about these guys is that they aren't — and never wanted to be — hired guns. They genuinely enjoy college life and if it weren't for the fact that millions of dollars are waiting on the table and they have little to gain by playing another year on a campus, they'd be back.
But it's not going to happen.
Durant is as offensively skilled as anyone to come along in recent memory. He's putting up 25 nearly every night and is virtually unstoppable for a supporting cast that is not a whole lot better than teams in the Mountain West.
Oden doesn't score enough. That's the knock. However, he's never been — and will never be — a guy who goes for 30 a night. That's not why he'll become the NBA's elite big man for the next decade once Shaq and Duncan leave.
The debate began earlier in the season. Who would you take? Oden or Durant. It's a question that started slowly while the two were seniors in high school and has grown into a full-fledged debate this season.
Does it really matter?
We've gotten them both — at least for one season.