The Buckeyes are going to the Final Four! Even as I type those words, I find them hard to believe — and richly satisfying, all at the same time.
What a fine, if foul-plagued, game this was! Ohio State took the game to Syracuse from the first tip. They played a smart game against the Syracuse zone, and once they figured out how the officials were going to call the game, they tailored their approach accordingly. The Buckeyes attacked, they rebounded, and they hounded Syracuse into a series of turnovers when the game was on the line.
Virtually every Buckeye made a significant contribution in this game. Jared Sullinger overcame first half foul trouble and dominated the game in the second half every time he touched the ball. Aaron Craft was a hustling hurricane, Deshaun Thomas made some great passes and clutch shots, and the Buckeye bench — Sam Thompson, Evan Ravenel, Shannon Scott, and particularly Amir Williams — made the win possible. But I particularly want to commend William Buford and Lenzelle Smith, Jr. — Buford, because he kept fighting and just wouldn’t quit, and Smith, who was fearless in putting the ball up and taking the ball to the rack.
It’s so rare for a team to make it to the Final Four. So much depends on match-ups, and who is hot and who is not, and how the ball bounces. It’s time to enjoy this great accomplishment, and revel in the cool of the evening.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will hope to carry the Big Ten flag forward when they play tonight against the Big East’s best team, the Syracuse Orange. It will be a battle of two seasoned, highly regarded teams that spent the entire season ranked in the top ten.
The Buckeyes will be looking to break down the zone in other ways, by trying to get the ball to Deshaun Thomas at the elbow of the lane and have him shoot mid-range jumpers before Syracuse players can rotate over or dish to Jared Sullinger and others if holes in the zone open up. Thomas has been a stud in the Tournament, and the Buckeyes hope his strong showing will continue.
Syracuse has a lot of long and talented players who can run, shoot, and finish near the rim. They like to play up-tempo and score fast-break points off turnovers. They are led in scoring by forward Kris Joseph and guard Dion Waiters, but the match-up I’ll have my eye on will be Ohio State’s Aaron Craft against Syracus guard Scoop Jardine. Jardine is terrific, and Syracuse counts on him to get the ball to the players who can finish. Craft will be trying to disrupt that and will be playing his tremendous pressure on the ball style to do so. If Craft can get Jardine out of his rhythm and out of his game without getting himself into foul trouble, the Buckeyes will have a chance to move forward.
