Deshaun Thomas has been clutch for the Buckeyes in March and scoring points like mad.
Ohio State beat Team Zubaz, I mean, Cincinnati 81-66 in Boston to advance to the Elite Eight. It wasn’t always pretty, and it wasn’t easy on the heart for a while, but it was a win. It was also a win that tossed the Sweet 16 monkey off of the collective backs of this team.
The ugly: Ohio State blew a 12 point lead to fall behind in the second half. I doubt that I was alone in Buckeye Nation when the “here we go again” thought popped into my head.
The good: This time, unlike many times before this season, The Buckeyes didn’t quit. They turned back Cincinnati with a 17-1 run to take charge of the game. It was refreshing to see the team rally and not mope and just stop. It should give fans a nice glimmer of hope for the rest of the tourney. The team we’d all expected to see all year showed up.
They are showing up at the right time.
Jared Sullinger was in beast mode and tallied 23 points and 11 rebounds. Deshaun Thomas was also in beast mode and dropped 26 points. Aaron Craft was not his usual dreamy self until the second half. He didn’t score a single point in the first and dropped all 11 in the second. Though, he was still rather dreamy defensively, as per usual.
Cincinnati and their hideous uniforms finish the season with a 26-11 record. Ohio State moves on to play in the regional finals for the first time since 2007. That season ended with a National Championship loss to Florida. This year’s team is hoping to erase those horrific visions in Buckeye Nation’s head.
