Buckeye Seniors Take Their Last Fall

When Brandon Knight let the ball go from his hands, with less than 10 seconds in the game, Buckeye fans shuddered with the possibility of a loss to our beloved Buckeyes. Aaron Craft would be guarding, so we knew we could trust him to try and make a play. So when Knight let the ball go, and the ball made that dreadful "swoosh" noise, we all knew, truly, that our season was done. 


Of course, when bad things like that happen, there is always that small glimmer of hope. So when we inbounded it with about 6 seconds left in the game, we all were thinking the same thing "Please let some Madness magic come to this team". Buford was 2 for 19 on the night. He ended up taking the shot that would careen off the rim, and be knocked away before anyone else could try and make a put-back.


Ohio State's Jon Diebler hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60 with 21 seconds remaining, but rather than call timeout Kentucky coach John Calipari opted to trust his players.

Knight, who knocked down a winner in Kentucky's second-round victory over Princeton, drove to his right then hit a silky 15-foot jumper. Ohio State coach Thad Matta has called this team a special one capable of getting the program back to the Final Four for the first time since 2007. Yet it ended with the Buckeyes trudging off the floor in disbelief. Sullinger led Ohio State (34-3) with 21 points and 16 rebounds, but the Buckeyes fell in the regional semifinals for a second straight season. Sullinger said in the aftermath he expects to return for his sophomore year, if only to wash out the taste of a bitter end to an otherwise spectacular season.

"I'm definitely coming back next year," Sullinger said. "I need to work on a lot of things. I have to come back. I'm coming back to win."

My Thoughts:

-  The Wildcats beat Ohio State for the first time in six NCAA tournament meetings.

- Jared Sullinger had 21 points and 16 rebounds, making him the only Buckeye with a 20-15 tournament game in the last 15 years.

- Of the 8 teams that have been a number-one overall seed in the Men's Basketball Championship, only 2007 Florida has won the title. Ohio State is the 4th of those 8 teams to be eliminated in the Sweet 16 or sooner.

- I don't want to call this an underachieving team, because the faced a team that is always filled with NBA-ready players. The same goes for OSU football, if you want in the NFL and you're good, you'll most likely have the best chance at Ohio State. Kentucky is the basketball school for that. I tip my hat to these seniors, and wish them the best of luck in getting in the NBA.