It started with one especially crazy upset.
Honestly, I'm not sure how aware I was that Ohio State basketball was a thing that existed before Matt Sylvester drained that triple. I grew up a Cincinnati Bearcat basketball fan, and rooting for a team where I didn't have to make repeated mental excuses for their on and off-court behavior just didn't really jibe with me. I also had a reflexive hatred for Thad Matta for routinely sticking it to the Bearcats while he was at Xavier, despite Matta being a pretty cool guy and Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins being a pretty turdish example of what happens when you give a guy with anger problems basically zero administrative oversight.
Still. I was a sophomore at Ohio State in 2005, and by all rights I should've had season tickets and been front and center for one of the greatest moments in Thad Matta's Ohio State coaching career. That'd be a mistake I'd repeat several times, and in doing so, I missed getting to watch Thad Matta do one of the things that he does best: win big-time games against marquee opponents at the end of the regular season.
In his previous 11 seasons at Ohio State, Thad Matta is 10-1 in regular season finales. And it isn't as if he's been beating up on the basement of the Big Ten in these games; five of these games were against ranked opponents, including top ranked Illinois in 2005, three wins against ranked Michigan State teams, and a top 10 Wisconsin team in 2011. What's more, four of the games have been decided by five points of less, and each of those close games featured some insane performances by Ohio State players in the closing minutes.
March Madness begins early, my friends. Let's take a look back at how Thad and company have closed their seasons out in style.
March 7th, 2005- Ohio State 65, #1 Illinois 64
This game has been discussed to death, but it really represents the beginning of the Ohio State basketball renaissance. Illinois entered the game as significant favorites, undefeated as they were, and lost in the most memorable fashion possible.
One of the things that people forget is that Illinois lost a 12-point lead in the second half, and failed to record a single point in the final three minutes of the game. It's emblematic of the kind of grit and determination that would become the hallmark of Matta's teams for years to come.
March 4th, 2007- #1 Ohio State 65, Michigan 61
This one isn't really that big of a deal, but it's fun because Ohio State beat Michigan. Mark Titus did not see playing time in this game despite Greg Oden being sidelined for much of the game because he was in foul trouble. Kind of a bad coaching decision if you ask me.
March 9th, 2008- Ohio State 63, #17 Michigan State 54
"Do I think Ohio State is deserving of being in the tournament? Hands down," a disappointed Izzo said. "...But, yeah, I think Ohio State deserves to be in. They beat two ranked teams down the stretch and they played one of the tougher schedules early."
Damn, what a bro. Thanks Tom. Of course, Sparty would go on to bounce Ohio State out of the Big Ten tournament and into the NIT like a half-second later, but I personally appreciate the sentiment.
March 4th, 2012- #10 Ohio State 72, #5 Michigan State 70
William Buford is my favorite smarmy douche Buckeye of all time. It's not just that he was an incessant trash talker and got angry a lot, it's also that he was an incredibly streaky shooter capable of putting up either 35 or zero on any given day. Against Sparty in 2012, Buford hit one of the biggest shots of his life, a ridiculous fadeaway deuce that put the Buckeyes up by two with less than a second to go.
Even better was the fact that this was in East Lansing, and that ol' Willie B did it with about 30 guys in his face. Whatever his shortcomings in certain NCAA tournament games, Buford is always going to have that beautiful moment.
March 9th, 2014- Ohio State 69, #22 Michigan State 67
The Aaron Craftiest game that Aaron Craft ever played.
12 points on 4-9 shooting. Three rebounds, seven assists. Four steals. Three insane minutes at the very end of the game where he just took over defensively and seemingly single-handedly prevented Michigan State from scoring. It's the kind of thing that the 2015-2016 Ohio State team could use a lot more of, and a reminder of just how missed one of the most popular players of the Thad Matta era really is.
In truth, Ohio State is probably about to get skunked by Sparty Saturday. But history suggests that there are 10 or so reasons to tune in, and Tom Izzo has three very specific reasons to take pause before his team heads into the offseason. And, uh, if he wants to throw the Buckeyes some March Madness props that'd be cool too.
