The University of Memphis men's soccer team has no idea that Ohio State (10-6-2) goalie Ray Burse Jr. has the 17th lowest goals against average in the nation or Justin Cook is the 24th ranked player in points per game in the nation.
"I don't know who he is," said freshman forward and Conference USA tournament sensation Marcus McCarty.
On the other side, Ohio State may not know that only two collegiate soccer players have more assists than junior midfielder Dayton O'Brien, that senior goaltender Sebastian Vecchio has the ninth lowest goals against average or that the Tigers didn't give up a goal in six games over three weeks.
The lack of knowledge stems from an arrangement between Conference USA and the Big Ten, according to Tiger head coach Richie Grant.Neither the Buckeyes nor the Tigers (16-3-1) were able to obtain scouting reports on each other.
"We've done as much (scouting) as we possibly can," said Grant.After phone calls to Ohio State's non-conference opponents and watching Justin Cook in the spring, Grant has gathered enough information to make any reporter happy.
"There won't be any real secrets," he said. "We've done enough homework to know what their better team is and who their dangerous players are.
"I saw (Cook) play in the spring. He's an exciting and explosive player. He has great pace. We just need to be aware of him and make sure we hold our position."
The knowledge the Tigers posses may be more than that of their opponent.
"People underestimate us," said senior defender Justin Dyer.Does Ohio St.?
"I don't see why they wouldn't," he said.
It is clear Tigers do care about one thing, winning. And they do that very well.
The Tigers are a win away from tying a school record of an eight consecutive wins. They're 13-1-1 in their last 15 games. Their eight conference regular season wins are the second most in C-USA history.Whichever color jersey lines up opposite the Tigers, Grant's team will be on the offensive.
"We're always going for the first goal and a lot of times that happens quickly," said Dyer. "That first goal is huge."
However, this is not a team that scores and resorts to defense.
"We want another," he said. "We're greedy."
When the Tigers take on the Buckeyes Friday at 6 p.m., an interesting subplot to the game will not be on the field, but on the sidelines.
Grant will guide his Tigers against Ohio State head coach and Grant's former instructor, John Bluem.
"I was a candidate in the course when he was an instructor in 1997," said Grant. "He's probably forgotten more than I've learned."
Thanks to a strong C-USA tournament run, Grant says his players will be prepared for what will be the biggest game of their lives, although most consider the biggest game of their life to be the next one, whoever they're playing.
"(The C-USA tournament) did nothing but help us. We showed a couple of things in the tournament," he said. "One, our defensive qualities against St. Louis were consistent with the rest of the season. Two, our ability to comeback and show character against UAB, being two goals down, says a lot about our team. It's a perfect time to be playing a big game."
If they win against the Buckeyes they'll get to play...unfortunately, they don't know or care. They'll just try to win.Psst, it's Notre Dame.
