Ohio State's Jared Sullinger Declares For NBA Draft

Sullinger had many great moments to remember

After guiding Ohio State to the Final Four, two-time All-American forward Jared Sullinger figured he might as well see what he could do for an NBA team.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore announced on Wednesday he is giving up his final two seasons with the Buckeyes to make himself available for the NBA draft in June. Most projections have him going in the top 10.

"Going to the Final Four with a team that many people said we weren't good enough, weren't strong enough, weren't mentally tough enough, and still being able to get to the Final Four with all the ups and downs we had, I think that was tremendous for this basketball team," Sullinger said, flanked by his parents and coach Thad Matta. "Once we got to the Final Four, we were trying to win it. But unfortunately, we fell short. I feel at peace with the decision I'm making."

The Buckeyes lost to Kansas 64-62 in the national semifinals on Saturday.

Sullinger averaged 17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds a game while shooting 52 percent from the field, 77 percent at the line and 40 percent on 3-pointers while leading the Buckeyes to a 31-8 record and a Final Four berth. He was 63-10 as a starter.

"I've always said he's one of the most intellectual players I've ever coached," Matta said. "He came in that way as a freshman. The thing is that people don't know he studies the game. Not only the college game, but the NBA game. He can tell you a lot about a lot of NBA issues. For him, the timing is definitely right."

Sullinger's father, Satch, was his coach at national power Northland High School in Columbus. He believed the youngest of his three sons, all of whom played Division I basketball, had the ability to play in the NBA. But he also knew he wasn't ready a year ago when Jared was considered a top-five pick.

"The skill set's always been there. But last year, at this time, I wasn't comfortable as a parent with the option of him possibly going to the NBA," Satch Sullinger said. "Jared's had it pretty easy in basketball, he's been relatively injury free. This year I watched the peaks and valleys and I watched him mature. There's only one way to get experience and that's by being inexperienced in a situation. I watched him be immature in certain things and work his way out of it. I saw that consistency start to come back during the end of the season run all the way through the Final Four."

Buckeyes Fall In Final Four To Kansas

Buckeyes lost after giving up a 13 point lead

The Ozone - At times during the 2011-12 season the Ohio State men’s basketball team was admittedly bi-polar. On Saturday night, the Buckeyes’ split personality cost them a shot at the national championship.

OSU followed up a first half in which it led by as many as 13 points with one of its worst shooting halves of the season and watched its season slip away at the foul line in a 64-62 loss to Kansas in college basketball’s national semifinals.

After taking a nine-point lead into halftime, the Buckeyes only made eight of their 33 field goal attempts in the second half, and allowed a late 6-0 Jayhawks run to put Kansas on top and into Monday night’s national championship game where it’ll face Kentucky.

"Well, I thought we played the first half very effectively. Second half obviously we didn't shoot the ball to the level we needed to. I thought Kansas was much more active defensively, using their athleticism," said OSU Head Coach Thad Matta.

Trailing by two points with two seconds remaining, OSU Aaron Craft attempted to send the game into overtime by purposely missing the second of two free throws, but was whistled for a lane violation before attempting the would-have-been game-tying lay-up.

Craft’s ill-fated attempt was too little too late for a Buckeye team that was outscored 39-28 over the course of a second half that saw OSU forward Deshaun Thomas’ minutes limited after he picked up his third foul with 17:34 remaining in the game, and his fourth with 11:30 left.

OSU’s disaster second half was hardly predictable after a first half that saw the Buckeyes hold Kansas to just 13 points over the course of the game’s first 15 minutes and consistently lead by double-digits until a Travis Releford lay-up cut the Buckeyes’ lead to 34-25 heading into halftime.

Basketball Preview: #2 Ohio State vs. #2 Kansas

The time has come. Will OSU pull out a win?

Welcome to "The Other Game" at the Final Four.

OK, so, the Ohio State-Kansas matchup may not have the fantastic freshmen, the outspoken coaches or blood-feud story line of the opening semifinal between Kentucky and Louisville. But this one still should be worth a two-hour investment in front of the TV set Saturday night.

Besides the chance to watch two top-line teams play for a spot in the national title game, the Buckeyes-Jayhawks game offers a rare opportunity to see two All-Americans going at it with everything on the line.

Ohio State is led by Jared Sullinger, the sophomore forward who missed the first matchup between these teams with a bad back. Kansas' best player is Thomas Robinson, who had 21 points and seven rebounds in the Jayhawks' 78-67 win on Dec. 10.

"In my eyes, he's the college player of the year," Sullinger said of Robinson. "I know some think different. But with his season, the way he took his team to the top, you've just got to give it to him."

In fact, it's Kentucky's Anthony Davis who took player of the year awards from The Associated Press and college basketball writers Friday. But while Davis is a story of an ultra-talented freshman trying to lead his team to a championship in what likely will be his only year with the Wildcats, Sullinger and Robinson approach college in a different way.

At one point last season, Sullinger was viewed as a surefire lottery pick, a one-and-done prospect with nothing much left to prove in college. He never saw it that way, however, and when Ohio State was eliminated from last year's tournament as a No. 1 seed, the 6-foot-9 forward committed to staying in college.

"I wanted to make a statement, that not everybody is using college basketball as a pit stop to go the next level," he said. "That there's more than money and endorsements. There's championships that you've got to win at every level. That's what I pride myself on. I've won a championship all the way from elementary to now. I pride myself on winning. That's the biggest thing. That's why I came back."

"Pride," was also one of the first words Robinson used when asked about his decision to return for his junior year.

He spent most of his first two seasons playing limited minutes behind the Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus. NBA scouts were telling Robinson he could be a first-round draft pick if he left.

"It was a pride issue," Robinson said. "I didn't want people to guess and be like, `I think he can play. We've seen glimpses.' I wanted to come back and prove to everybody that I'm a good player."

He did. Widely viewed in the preseason as a player who might nudge his way onto some All-America lists, Robinson outperformed the predictions. He averages 17.7 points and 11.8 rebounds a game and is learning the difference between coming off the bench as a role player and leading a team.

Monday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning Buckeye fans. Are you feeling the excitement and sheer giddiness that I'm feeling this morning? Thanks again to the Buckeyes for knocking off the 1-seed in the East region, Syracuse, on their way to a Final Four appearance.

This marks the first time since the 2006-2007 season that Ohio State has reached the Final Four. That was back when we had Oden and Conley as they went on to the National Championship game, something that this basketball team can accomplish just as well. Let's get on to the Bits!

The Jayhawks Stand In Our Way. It's time for a rematch and this game has quite a bit more riding on the outcome then last time. Back in early December, the Buckeyes played at Kansas against Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor. Up to that point, OSU was a perfect 8-0 and ranked 2nd in the country. Then, the Jayhawks were ranked 13th and were able to knock off Ohio State with a deceiving 78-67 victory.

The key point in this rematch: Jared Sullinger did not play in December vs. Kansas. Sullinger was sidelined due to an injury with his back, forcing him to sit the bench and watch the Buckeyes fall. Now there is nothing in Sullinger's way. This should be a great game to watch, as Kansas is really starting to hit their stride  after defeating the Midwest 1-seed, North Carolina. Both Robinson and Taylor play very well together and should cause problems for Ohio State all night, setting up an awesome combination of basketball talent.

Sullinger, Buckeyes Power Through Syracuse On Way To Final Four

The Buckeyes truly earned their place in the Final Four.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta sized up his team in the middle of the season and had it figured for an early loss when the NCAA tournament came around.

The final weekend of March Madness is next, and the Buckeyes will be there.

Jared Sullinger recovered from first-half foul trouble to score 19 points and grab seven rebounds, helping Ohio State beat top-seeded Syracuse 77-70 on Saturday to advance to the Final Four in New Orleans. The second-seeded Buckeyes will play the winner of Sunday's Midwest Regional final between North Carolina and Kansas.

"We're not going down to New Orleans for a vacation. It's a business trip," said Sullinger, who picked up his second foul 6 minutes into the game and did not return the rest of the half. "These guys have played without me before, so they know what they have to do."

Deshaun Thomas scored 14 points with nine rebounds for Ohio State (31-7), which led by eight points with 59 seconds to play and held on after the Orange cut it to three. The Buckeyes made 13 of 14 free throws in the final 68 seconds and finished 31 of 42 from the line.

Ohio State is making its first trip to the Final Four since 2007, when it lost in the national championship game to Florida. They had lost in the regional semifinals in each of the past two seasons, and Matta wasn't even sure they would make it that far after a series of unimpressive practices.

When the Buckeyes, who spent five weeks as the No. 2 team in the nation, closed out February with three defeats in five games -- including a home loss to Wisconsin on Feb. 26 -- Matta had more reason to worry.

But he got the response he was hoping for.

"That loss opened their eyes and said, 'Hey, maybe we're not as good as we think we are,' " Matta said. "Maybe it got us pointed in the right direction."

Basketball Preview: #2 Ohio State vs. #1 Syracuse

Can the Buckeyes make the Final Four?

One of the old axioms of college basketball is that you play zone against a team that plays zone. Syracuse, which plays the best zone defense in the sport right now, has struggled recently against zones.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who on Saturday will be the next coach to try and solve the 2/3 when his second-seeded Buckeyes (30-7) meet the top-seeded Orange (34-2) with a berth in the Final Four at stake, was asked if he was thinking of trying to play zone against a zone.

"Not really. We're into Game 30, whatever it is. We kind of are who we are from that standpoint to be honest with you," he said Friday. 

"Going against a zone this week -- we felt like Cincinnati was going to play us like they did last night, the first half zone, and thought there was a chance we'd play Syracuse, so we went against zone in practice and left with a ton of confidence on offense because the zone was so bad. So we're not going to do that."

Syracuse's zone is far from bad, even when it's far from perfect.

Wisconsin pounded the zone with 14 3-pointers in the 64-63 East Regional semifinal loss to the Orange, but came up short down the stretch.

"I heard, I don't know when it was, a couple years ago, whatever, and I thought it was the greatest answer I've ever heard from Coach Boeheim," Matta recounted. "Somebody asked him what do you do when somebody gets really hot against your zone and they're making 3s? He said `How do you know they're not going to make them against man-to-man?' I think he has his philosophy, and he's only won 900 or however many games he's won. It works for him.

"Watching that game last night, he struck true to what he's done. Fourteen 3s, you might say, `Hey, that's good enough to get the job done.' Last night it wasn't."

Basketball Preview: #2 Ohio State vs. #6 Cincinnati

Craft stepped up big against Gonzaga

There are 347 schools playing Division I men's basketball. Thirteen are from Ohio. Four of those are among the 16 teams still playing in the NCAA tournament.

Only one calls itself The Ohio State University.

The flagship school from the leading basketball state in the nation -- in this tournament, at least -- will play Cincinnati on Thursday night in an East Regional semifinal that is as much a Battle of the Buckeye State as it is a chance to move one game closer to a national title.

"What I've felt all along is it's just a tremendous state for basketball," said Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who also coached at Miami of Ohio and Xavier before taking over the Buckeyes in 2004.

"I think a lot of times in the high school ranks it gets tabbed as a football state, just all the great players that they've put out. But just in the time that I've been there ... I've got a pretty good understanding of how passionate the fans are. It takes a lot of luck for four teams to get here, obviously. I think it speaks volumes to the level of basketball in the state."

Although it is bordered by hoops hotbeds Kentucky (a state with nine NCAA titles) and Indiana (five), Ohio hasn't really been considered a basketball state since placing a team in four straight championship games from 1960-63. (Ohio State won the first, then lost the next two to Cincinnati; the Bearcats returned in `63 and lost to Loyola of Chicago.)

Ohio State has won two football championships since then, but its appearance in the basketball title game in 2007 is the only one for the state since the `60s. Even -- gasp! -- Michigan, with three men's basketball championship since then, has more to show from its trips to the NCAA tournament.

"Ohio, everybody knows them as a football state. But we have a little bit of basketball talent inside those borders," said Buckeyes forward Jared Sullinger, a Columbus native who is one of three Ohioans among the top four scorers on the team. "It's just finally showing now."

And not just at Ohio State.

Wednesday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning, Buckeye fans!  The 2012 NCAA Tournament kicked off last night and I couldn’t be more excited for the next three weeks!  In the first game in Dayton, Western Kentucky stormed back from a double-digit deficit with five minutes remaining to defeat Mississippi Valley State 59-58. 

The Hilltoppers’ reward? They get to play No. 1 overall seed, Kentucky. Good luck. 

In the second game, BYU defeated Iona 78-72 as Iona collapsed after running out to 55 points in the first 16 minutes and will face Marquette in their next game.

Now onto the Bits!

Fab Melo ruled ineligible.  The path to New Orleans possibly just got a little easier for Ohio State.  Syracuse’s star center and Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Fab Melo, was ruled out for the entire NCAA Tournament yesterday. 

This is a big blow for the Orange. Melo missed three games earlier this season with academic issues and it seems this is along the same lines. In the games he was out, Syracuse was 2-1, but was outrebounded by nearly 10 per game, when they were about even in the games he played in.

Ohio State Basketball - Season Preview

It's finally here! Ohio State basketball tips off tonight at 7:00 against the Aggies.....of North Carolina A&T. Not exactly a marquee match up, but at least the team will actually be on the floor for a game that counts. With the season only hours away from officially beginning, now is a better time than ever to give our faithful (handful of) readers an idea of what to expect this year. If you are new to the site, or for some reason just missed them here are the four profiles I have done on the new freshman to the team: Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas, Aaron Craft, and Lenzelle Smith, Jr. I promise, I will get profiles up on Jordan Sibert and J.D. Witherspoon soon. For now, I want to focus on what lineups will likely be on the floor this year and how I think the team will finish in the Big Ten.

Turner carried the team last year.

Last year, lack of depth was a major problem for the basketball Buckeyes. This year, depth presents a different problem: Too much of it. Of course, I don't actually think that having an excess of talent is ever an actual "problem" (unless you are Mike Brown, and simply REFUSE to put good players on the floor...or call timeouts, or coach offense, or stand up to your players, etc.). Ohio State will be two-deep at every position, with several players (both starters and backups) having the ability to play multiple positions. There are five positions, so let's begin.

GPC and Bracket Challenge update 2!

The March Madness tournament is almost over, with the Final Four teams selected, which is Butler, MSU, WVU, and Duke. For most, the tournament is done, but for some of the top people remaining, they are looking for that free item of their choice from our shop. The top 5 people looking for that prize in the Challenge are:

1. Ken 
2. Eric
3. SBB
4. Mali
5. Ben Patrick

As far as the GPC goes, here are the standings:


Writer - Ian: 49-26 - 1st - tied

Writer - Chris: 35-29 - 9th - tied

Reader - Ken: 49-28 - 1st - tied

Reader - Doug: 1-0 - 13th

Reader - Sebastian: 43-30 - 2nd

Reader - Eric: 41-31 - 3rd

Reader - Todd: 39-27 - 5th - tied

Reader - T. Reigle: 38-21 - 6th - tied

Reader - SBB: 36-26 - 8th

Reader - J. Heck: 33-28 - 10th

Reader - B. Patrick: 37-24 7th - tied

Reader - Bill Weaver: 38-30 6th - tied

Reader - Daniel Denton: 35-32 9th - tied

Reader - L. Alicea: 36-32 8th - tied

Reader - Jakob Thais: 36-29 8th - tied

Reader - B. Ludwiczak: 38-25 6th - tied

Reader - Steve Crummie: 32-30 11th

Reader - J. Pham: 39-26 5th - tied

Reader - Mali: 40-22 - 4th

Things are pretty close, so good luck to everyone in the tournament!

Ohio State toppled by Vols.

Well, I know that's not how we all planned for the game to go, and we didn't really want to lose. When the media chooses an ultimate favorite in the NCAA Tournament, they usually end up losing it all. Most likely, Kentucky will take over as the favored team to win the tournament now. Althouth the loss is upsetting, no pun intended, we can always look ahead. We have the Super 6 coming into C-town next year, and it should be a championship run season.

A key player tonight for Tennesse was, without a doubt, Wayne Chism. He finished with 22 points onlyfour in the second half, and 11 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Volunteers (28-8), who pulled out a back-and-forth tussle in the Midwest Regional semifinals. Evan Turner played fairly well, but it wasn't enough for the Player of the Year, even though he finished with 31 points, leading all scorers. Turner single-handedly carried the Buckeyes in the second half, much to the frustration of Thad Matta and the rest of Buckeye Nation. The first half belonged to the rest of the Buckeye players, while Turner was down. In the second, though, the rest of the team was slow, and Turner turned hot. Many spectualte that Turner could come back next season due to the extra early exit by the Buckeyes.

"I can't give a percentage right now," Turner said, his eyes red and his voice catching, when asked if he'll return to Ohio State for his senior year. "I really don't want to go out like this."

That has to give some people hope, as everyone knows that Jared Sullinger and company would almost certainly make a Final Four apperance next year. If Turner comes back, though, I could see a National Championship in the mix. For the rest of the team, they had to feel pretty bad, as the path to the Final Four became much easier when Georgetown and Kansas got upset by Ohio and Northern Iowa. William Buford (15) was the only other scorer in double figures. Jon Diebler, so big for Ohio State in the first two rounds, shot 1 of 7 from 3-point range. Ohio State thought they could get lucky again by giving the ball to Turner at the end, but unlike Michigan, Tennessee plays defense, and are not stupid.

The ball represents the Elite Eight. The fight was on.

The rest of the tournament will sure be interesting, and I'm going to be rooting for Nortern Iowa all the way, but then Kentucky to win it all. Northern Iowa has to face Michigan State, and then Tennessee just to make it to the Final Four. Some peoples brackets are totally shot now..gladly, but sadly at the same time, I had Ohio State losing here anyway, but to G-Town instead. We will keep you posted on what Turner has to say about returning for his Senior year or not.