BOISE, Idaho – All good things must come to an end.
Whether you believe the saying to be true or not, there is no denying that Ohio State's 2017-18 season was one that was likely never going to end in a national title. However, how it ended on Saturday night in Boise was fully representative of what the year became for Chris Holtmann's first squad in Columbus.
The game began with a 15-0 run by Gonzaga, burying Ohio State's hopes before they ever got off the ground. Similarly, that is how the Buckeyes' season began, with just eight scholarship players on the roster at one point during the offseason, leaving little to no hope for any kind of sustainable success for the season.
Yet as time went on, the belief that Ohio State could put together a successful year began to grow. The Buckeyes strung together a few stops and hit a few baskets against the Zags, and before you knew it, they were right in the thick of the game, just like they were in the thick of the Big Ten race by early February.
At one point, the Buckeyes even took a five-point second-half lead with just more than six minutes to go. Similarly, Ohio State had a one-game lead in the Big Ten with just a handful of games to go, a conference title well within its grasp.
Ultimately, however, Ohio State fell just short of its goals, finishing second in the league and falling to Gonzaga on Saturday, 90-84.
Where the Buckeyes didn't fall short: the expectations for, as what Ohio State has called it all year, 'Team 119.'
Ohio State seniors Jae'Sean Tate, Kam Williams and Andrew Dakich, followed by superstar redshirt junior Keita Bates-Diop, willed the Buckeyes to a 25-9 season that featured memorable wins over the No. 1 team in the country Michigan State, and the No. 3 ranked Purdue team on the road in February. Without them, the Buckeyes don't put together the magical season they did, and Holtmann acknowledged that fact after the loss to Gonzaga.
Jae'Sean Tate, Andrew Dakich, Kam Williams and Keita Bates-Diop helped turn around an OSU program that was trending downward in just one season.
"If I had to put a percentage on it, its just about all of it," Holtmann said when asked how much Ohio State's veterans had to do with the success the Buckeyes had this season. "We (coaches) had to prove to them that you can put them in the right position to be successful and help them win games. When that happens, they usually trust you a little more.
"I think this group has consistently reached a potential maybe as much if not more than any I have ever coached," Holtmann added. "We were six minutes away from going to the Sweet 16."
Ohio State's comeback effort came up short on Saturday night in Boise, but the mark the team left on the program is something that will undoubtedly be felt in the facilities at the Schottenstein Center for years to come under Holtmann and his staff.
Tate, the emotional leader and captain of 'Team 119,' said after the game that while the season ended on a sour note, he wouldn't give it up for anything.
"I couldn't ask to be a part of a better university. We shed some tears in here because this team is special. Everybody in this room and everybody that contributed to this year is special. We were supposed to be done a month ago," Tate said. "We set the standard. We ended up coming up short, but the way we fought this year, we put Ohio State back on the map.
"I want to thank Coach Holt and his staff for believing in me to lead this team and my teammates for believing in me to lead this team," Tate added. "It ended just short, but I wouldn't change it for the world."
The 2017-18 season, much like the loss to Gonzaga, ended with a disappointing result. However, when most people think of 'Team 119' at Ohio State, they will think of the way it scratched, clawed and fought to the end, overcoming any and all expectations.
The season came to an end, but the impact 'Team 119' made on Ohio State basketball will last long beyond the 2017-18 season.
