The greatest sequence in the history of basketball happened last night in Iowa City.
Tie game, 75-75, five minutes to go. Ohio State with the ball, moving right to left.
At this point in the game, the Buckeyes had hung surprisingly tough against an Iowa Hawkeyes team with one of the best offenses in the country and possibly the best player in the country. Everyone knows who Luka Garza is at this point; he's having an historically great season with 26.5 points per game (which leads everyone else by... a lot) and is in the top five or ten in virtually every other offensive category that a seven foot forward is might think about dominating in.
Tasked with limiting Garza down the stretch was Zed Key, who gives up three inches, 20 pounds, and about four years of college basketball on the larger, more experienced Garza. Key had been doing Key things, which mainly means being cool and good and leveraging the lower half of his body to piss people off.
So, again: right to left.
As the ball was flung around the perimeter, Key slammed his ass into Garza's hip to create space in the paint. When a pass eventually came to Key, Garza reached in, fouled Key, and Zed converted one of two free throws. 76-75.
Iowa took the ball down the court, and Key again stared into Garza's soul, found it lacking, and came up with a massive block on the presumptive National Player of the Year. Coming down with the ball, Key got it to his teammates who eventually found Justin Ahrens for a clutch three. 79-75.
@ahrensjustin12 pic.twitter.com/MSK1jlJKGD
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 5, 2021
It was the 18th and final lead change in what is to this point the best win for Ohio State in the 20-21 season, but also probably ever because I just finished watching it which makes it especially great.
And the best part about it was that once again, Ohio State men's basketball pounded a Monster, cranked Powerman 5000, and did their best Degeneration X impression in the face of a supposedly Scary Dude. It isn't just that Chris Holtmann's squad is winning games, it's that they genuinely seem to relish going after the marquee name of every opponent they play.
UCLA isn't the "I'll commit every recruiting violation possible and still become venerated" John Wooden UCLA team of old, but under Mick Cronin they're apparently Pretty Good and currently 1st in the Pac-12. Good for them! Who cares! Ohio State shot 50% from the floor against the Bruins (despite jacking up 22 threes and only hitting eight of them and Duane Washington going 4 for 12) and won by six. They also lost both the rebounding and turnover battle. Didn't matter.
Ohio State also lost the turnover and rebounding battle against Illinois and let star Ayo Dosunmu score 22 points. They won that game by six as well. Frustrating Kofi Cockburn all night helped, but so did hitting 11 threes. Wisconsin, same deal (although this time they got more rebounds somehow), win by 12. And then last night, on the road against Iowa, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot in the face of the likes of Luka Garza while infuriating him and his teammates on defense.
And while I could (and have) waxed poetic about the contributions from one Zed Key, there's more to it than just his effort; Key's only playing a dozen or so minutes a night, and while he's on the bench guys like E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young are absolutely fearless in taking on the biggest threat from every team that Ohio State faces.
The other aspect to this No Fear Second Place First Loser USA Number One mentality is an unflinching desire to shoot. For a fan that can be frustrating or scary, especially since we watched this team go collectively cold for an entire month last season. But that's basketball in the 21st century, baby! Learn to love it, because the cost/benefit of Duane Washington jacking up 500 bunnies a game and hitting on maybe three of them is so far outweighed by everyone else shooting the lights out of the ball with reckless abandon.
With tonight's win against No. 8 Iowa, @OhioStateHoops has now won 6-straight games against AP Top 10 teams pic.twitter.com/Eo8KRSfiy1
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 5, 2021
What's more: it's necessary. Even after losing last night, Ken Pomeroy still pegs Iowa as the nation's best team offensively. Ohio State is a good team on defense, but if they want to compete with the likes of Michigan or eventually Baylor and Gonzaga (all three of which are ranked in the top ten both offensively and defensively, the only teams in the country to accomplish this), they'll have to continue to be utterly fearless at the other end of the court. Right now Pomeroy ranks them 4th in America, and at this point it's evident that it's sustainable.
This devil-may-care approach, coupled with a total lack of fear of going against Garza, payed off handsomely against Iowa last night. Michigan looms large later this month, but if Holtmann and the Buckeyes can keep this same mentality going forward, they just might be one of the most dangerous teams in the country in March.
