Thanks to Aaron Craft, the Ohio State Buckeyes have survived and advanced, and my heart rate has just about returned to something approaching its normal rhythm.
What a great game this was, and what an impossible game to watch if you were a fan of either team! Iowa State had the advantage early, and the Buckeyes clawed their way back. Ohio State took control in the second half, Iowa State counterpunched, and then the Buckeyes rolled out to a big lead. But then, it was Iowa State’s turn. They made incredibly tough threes, erased a 13-point Buckeye lead in the blink of an eye, and left me and every member of Buckeye Nation shaking our heads at an epic collapse. But Aaron Craft, who had missed the front ends of two one-and-ones to expedite Iowa State’s comeback, wouldn’t give up. He made the big plays down the stretch and then, with the final seconds ticking away, swished a three-pointer to put the game on ice for the Buckeyes.
Kudos to Aaron Craft — the baby-faced assassin — and Deshaun Thomas and LaQuinton Ross, all of whom made big shots in the second half. And kudos, too, to the Iowa State Cyclones, who were tough, dogged, and determined not to give up. I’m glad the Buckeyes won, of course, but I have a huge amount of respect for Iowa State and their classy coach. Great game, Cyclones! I hope you will turn out to be the toughest team the Buckeyes have to play, because I don’t think Ohio State — or its fans — could survive a tougher game than this one.
This year, there’s been a lot of talk — from people not named Charles Barkley — about the Big Ten being the best conference in basketball. Seven teams from the Old Conference made it to the Big Dance, and so far they’re represented the league well. The Big Ten’s record after the round of 64 is 6-1, with the only hiccup being Wisconsin’s dismal performance against Mississippi in a game where the Badgers simply could not put the ball into the basket. The Big Ten’s top-seeded teams, Indiana and Ohio State, both won by wide margins, Michigan State and Michigan played well in convincing wins, Illinois survived some poor shooting to beat Colorado, and Minnesota spanked UCLA in a surprising upset. Other conferences that were touted prior to the tournament, such as the Big East and the Mountain West, did not fare so well during the first round of play.
On January 13, however, Ohio State held the high-flying Michigan offense to 53 points and beat the Wolverines in Columbus. Since then, the other coaches in the Big Ten — which some people call the best-scouted league in the country — have tried to exploit the weaknesses first exposed by the Buckeyes. Michigan ended the regular season 25-7 and lost 5 of its last 10 games. Today Michigan got knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament by Wisconsin, losing 69-58. The Wolverines lost even though they held Wisconsin to only 17 points in the first half.
That’s why I find the revulsion I feel for Tom Crean, the head basketball coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, so interesting. I’ve come to really despise him, because he seems to have every despicable quality in the book. He’s a poor sport who won’t give the opposing coach an honest handshake if the Hoosiers lose. During games he stalks back and forth like a reptile in a pet shop cage and ventures far out onto the court in violation of the rules. He’s a braggart in victory and a whiner in defeat. When he loses, he’ll sulk for extended periods before facing the media and answering their questions. And recently he weirdly berated the assistant coach of an opposing team. He just seems like a thoroughly unpleasant guy who has some deep-seated issues.
Coach Matta had to replace Jared Sullinger, a dominant center who led the Buckeyes to two Big Ten titles and, last year, a Final Four. Sullinger left early for the NBA — but Coach Matta is used to that. He recruits top-notch talent, and he’s lost many players who turned pro after a year or two at Ohio State. When that happens, he cheerfully accepts the challenge of reshaping his team, and each year he rises to that challenge. This year’s team has compiled a 22-7 record and is contending for another Big Ten title.
So, here’s what will happen. I’ll watch the game. I’ll stay up later than I normally do. I’ll be charged up about the game for a prolonged period of time. And when the game ends around 11 p.m. or so, I’ll be unable to get to sleep right away. Either I’ll be upset at how the Buckeyes played and focused on their loss when I try to sleep, or I’ll be excited that Ohio State somehow pulled off an improbable road victory — on Indiana’s senior night, no less, when the Hoosiers are trying to win an outright Big Ten championship — that the adrenalin won’t let me rest. Either way, I’m not going to get a good night’s sleep. And don’t even raise the possibility of overtime!
We fans, however, are pining for a weekend game. I enjoy the adrenalin rush the games provide, and I rationalize that the spikes in my blood pressure caused by bad calls from referees during an OSU game probably are good for my system. Every once in a while, you want to make sure that your body can withstand various stresses. Isn’t that what those doctor-supervised stress tests are all about? Getting seriously into a Buckeyes game is just the self-administered version.
Over the past few days, the top three teams in the conference — Indiana, Michigan State, and Michigan — all have lost. Ohio State’s victory over Michigan State on Sunday wasn’t that much of an upset, but Minnesota’s win over top-ranked Indiana last night was a real surprise, and Penn State’s victory tonight over Michigan, in a game in which Michigan frittered away a double-digit lead, is an absolute shocker. Before that game, Penn State hadn’t won a conference game all year. As a result of the upsets, Indiana leads the conference race with three losses, Michigan State and steady Wisconsin are right behind with four losses, and Ohio State and stumbling Michigan are one game farther back.
So far, the two best teams appear to be Indiana and Michigan. Indiana leads the Big Ten with an 8-1 record after beating Michigan at Bloomington Saturday night, and Michigan is right behind at 7-2. Also at 7-2 are Michigan State and Ohio State, and Wisconsin — which has handed Indiana its only conference loss, and at Bloomington, no less — stands one game back at 6-3. Minnesota has had some surprising stumbles on its way to a 5-4 record, and the Illinois squad that came to the Big Ten schedule 13-1 and then beat the snot out of Ohio State at Assembly Hall has collapsed to a 2-7 conference record.
Buckeyes fans should be thrilled with a 7-2 record, because this year’s team has some obvious holes. Deshaun Thomas is the Big Ten’s leading scorer, but he also has been Ohio State’s only reliable offensive weapon. The other starters — Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith Jr., Sam Thompson, and Amir Williams — have had their ups and downs, but each game one of those players steps up and scores enough to keep opposing defenses honest. The Buckeyes also have the consistent hallmark of a Thad Matta-coached team: they play hard-nosed defense and man up until the shot clock hits zero. So far, the team also has done what you must do in the Big Ten — win your conference games at home and steal a few of the away games against the beatable teams.
During most of Thad Matta’s highly successful tenure as the Ohio State coach, the Buckeyes have been at the top of the Big Ten. They’ve dominated the Wolverines and knocked them out of the Big Ten Tournament three years in a row. This year, though, the tables are turned. Michigan is unbeaten and, with Duke’s loss yesterday, will be ranked number 1 in the land if they can beat the Buckeyes today. Ohio State, on the other hand, has seen its offensive struggles continue and isn’t the overwhelming force of the past few years. The Buckeyes got crushed on the road at Illinois and will have to play their best game of the year to beat the Wolverines.
Alabama crushed unbeaten Notre Dame last night, 42-14. The game wasn’t that close. Alabama has won three of the last four national championships. Add the championships won by LSU, Florida, and Auburn — all of the SEC — and you have an amazing record of success. The truth is that, right now, the SEC teams are better.
