Ohio State is back in the NCAA Tournament field, boasting a No. 2 seed in the South region, after a run to the Big Ten conference tournament final. The seed is the program's highest since a march to the 2013 Elite Eight, also as a 2-seed.
Chris Holtmann's squad get things started against No. 15 seed Oral Roberts at 3 p.m. tomorrow, looking to add a new chapter in the program's history.
In an effort to get your mind right for what could be a deep March run, today we celebrate the program's rich NCAA Tournament pedigree, notable records, elite individual performances, crazy comebacks and bad beats.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Ohio State factored into the tournament right from the jump, reaching the first-ever national title game before losing to Oregon in what was an eight-team field. The tournament featured eight teams through 1950 before expanding to 16 from 1951-1974.
The field swelled to 32 teams in 1975 before adding another 32 starting in 1985 and running through 2000. The tournament featured 65 teams from 2001-2010 before adjusting to the current 68-team field in 2011 with the birth of the First Four.
The term "March Madness" as a basketball reference dates back to the late 1930s but it wasn't associated with the NCAA Tournament until Brent Musberger used the term in 1982.
The "One Shining Moment" montage was born in 1987.
PROGRAM HISTORY
The official records call out 29 NCAA Tournament appearances for Ohio State but when you count vacated seasons, which most of you watched with your own eyes, the Buckeyes stand at 33 bids. The results of those 33 bids shake out like this:
- 11 Final Fours (10 if you don't count 1999)
- 4 Runner Up finishes (1939, '61, '62, '07)
- 4 No. 1 seeds
- 5 No. 2 seeds
- 1 National Title (1960)
- Overall record: 57-32 (including a 6-4 mark across the four vacated seasons)
- Last win: March 22, 2019 - (11) Ohio State 62, (6) Iowa State 59
SINGLE-GAME MARKS
| METRIC | RESULT | PLAYER | OPPONENT | SEASON |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POINTS | 36 | JERRY LUCAS | WESTERN KENTUCKY | 1960 |
| REBOUNDS | 30 | JERRY LUCAS | KENTUCKY | 1961 |
| ASSISTS | 15 | AARON CRAFT | GEORGE MASON | 2011 |
| MADE 3-POINTERS | 7 | DAVID LIGHTY, JON DIEBLER | GEORGE MASON, USCB | 2011, 2010 |
| STEALS | 6 | AARON CRAFT | IONA | 2013 |
| BLOCKS | 8 | DALLAS LAUDERDALE | UCSB | 2010 |
NOTABLE INDIVIDUAL BUCKEYE PERFORMANCES
This list could be even longer depending on your criteria but here's 25 top individual performances in Ohio State's Dance history.
| YEAR | PLAYER | PERFORMANCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | JERRY LUCAS | BIG MAN GOES OFF FOR 36 POINTS AND 25 BOARDS IN A WIN OVER W. KENTUCKY |
| 1961 | JERRY LUCAS | THROWS UP A MODEST 33 POINTS AND 30 REBOUNDS IN A VICTORY OVER KENTUCKY |
| 1962 | JERRY LUCAS | KENTUCKY AGAIN, 33 POINTS AND 15 REBOUNDS IN A BUCKEYE WIN |
| 1962 | JOHN HAVLICEK | 25 POINTS AND 16 RIPS IN A WIN OVER WAKE FOREST |
| 1968 | BILL HOSKET | BASELINER GOES FOR 18 POINTS AND 20 BOARDS IN A WIN OVER E. TENNESSEE |
| 1968 | STEVE HOWELL | 26 POINTS AND 13 REBOUNDS IN A VICTORY OVER HOUSTON IN 3RD PLACE GAME |
| 1971 | LUKE WITTE | POSTS 23 POINTS AND 17 REBOUNDS IN A LOSING EFFORT AGAINST W. KENTUCKY |
| 1980 | HERB WILLIAMS | CENTER PUTS UP 25 POINTS AND NINE BOARDS IN A WIN OVER ARIZONA STATE |
| 1980 | KELVIN RANSEY | SLICK BALL-HANDLER AND SCORER GOES FOR 29 IN A LOSS TO UCLA |
| 1987 | DENNIS HOPSON | PURE SCORE SPLASHES 32 POINTS IN WIN OVER KENTUCKY THE DAY AFTER WOODY DIED |
| 1992 | JIM JACKSON | SWISS-ARMY KNIFE PUTS UP 23 POINTS, 16 RIPS AND 6 ASSISTS IN WIN OVER UCONN |
| 1999 | MICHAEL REDD | LEFTY TALLIES 27 POINTS, 5 BOARDS AND 4 ASSISTS IN VICTORY OVER MURRAY STATE |
| 1999 | SCOONIE PENN | HEART AND SOUL POURS IN 26 ON A BAD ANKLE TO BEAT NO. 1 SEED AUBURN |
| 1999 | SCOONIE PENN | LOGS 22 POINTS WITH 8 BOARDS AND 8 DIMES TO BEAT ST. JOHN'S, REACH FINAL FOUR |
| 2002 | BRIAN BROWN | GUARD BLOWS UP FOR 33 POINTS ON 13/19 SHOOTING AS OSU HANDLES DAVIDSON |
| 2007 | RON LEWIS | SENIOR GOES OFF FOR 27 INCLUDING "THE SHOT" TO FORCE OT IN A WIN OVER XAVIER |
| 2007 | RON LEWIS | SPLASHY FROM 3, HE GOES FOR 25 TO HELP ERASE A 20-POINT DEFICIT TO BEAT TENNESSEE |
| 2007 | GREG ODEN | THE FRESHMAN BIG MAN PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER IN A 25/12 EFFORT IN LOSS TO FLORIDA |
| 2009 | EVAN TURNER | LOGS 50 MINUTES IN 2OT LOSS TO SIENNA, GOING FOR 25 POINTS, 9 BOARDS AND 8 DIMES |
| 2010 | EVAN TURNER | POSTS A NEAR-TRIPLE-DOUBLE WITH 25, 9 AND 9 IN A 75-66 WIN OVER GEORGIA TECH |
| 2010 | EVAN TURNER | OSU LOSES TO TENNESSEE DESPITE 31 POINTS, 7 REBOUNDS AND 5 ASSISTS FROM ET |
| 2012 | DESHAUN THOMAS | DT EXPLODES FOR 31 AND 12 IN A 78-59 WIN OVER LOYOLA, MD |
| 2015 | D'ANGELO RUSSELL | DESPITE A GASH OVER LEFT EYE, 0 PUTS UP 28 POINTS ON 10/20 SHOOTING WITH 6 ASSISTS |
| 2018 | KEITA BATES-DIOP | KBD THROWS IN 28 DURING A 6-POINT LOSS TO GONZAGA |
| 2019 | KALEB WESSON | THE BIG MAN RECORDS 21 POINTS, 12 RIPS AND 3 ASSISTS IN OSU'S LAST TOURNEY WIN |
BIGGEST COMEBACK
Down 49-29 with 37 seconds left in the first half of a 2007 matchup with 5-seed Tennessee in a regional semifinal, things looked fairly bleak for Thad Matta's top-seeded Buckeyes.
Tennessee finished the half shooting 9-of-13 from distance while Greg Oden managed two points due to foul trouble. Even with Oden playing just 18 minutes finishing with only nine points, Ohio State stormed back to record an improbable win thanks largely to Ron Lewis and Mike Conley Jr.
Lewis scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the final 20 minutes and Conley added 17 points and seven assists, sealing the game at the free throw line with 6.5 seconds left.
Beating Bruce Pearl's cheating ass was sweet as sugar and the 20-point comeback is the largest by Ohio State in an NCAA Tournament game.
BAD BEAT
Another memorable comeback occurred five days before the win over Tennessee as Matta's squad overcame and 11-point deficit with just over seven minutes to play against 9th-seeded Xavier.
Ron Lewis was again The Man drilling a triple near the top of the circle with two seconds in regulation to force overtime. Mike Conley Jr. took over from there, scoring a ridiculous nine of Ohio State's 16 points in the extra session.
So why is this game listed as a "Bad Beat?" I'm glad you asked. I was in Las Vegas for the opening weekend of the tournament with Jason and about six other friends from Columbus. We had all crowded into the sportsbook at the hooptie-ass Imperial Palace to watch the Buckeyes on what was probably a 50-inch box TV. We were pretty young and far from financially stable but that didn't stop us from putting not-insignificant amounts of cash on the Buckeyes to cover the 7.5-point spread.
Making it to overtime was a miracle, giving us extra life, and it looked like Ohio State would cover after two Conley free throws gave the Buckeyes a 78-69 lead with seven seconds left. Just as we started to celebrate, Xavier's Drew Lavender, a Whitehall, Ohio product no less, went the length of the court and tossed in an uncontested layup as Ohio State players hugged each other, paying no mind to the damn point spread. Ohio State 78, Xavier 71. Bad Beat. Very bad.
MR. BIG SHOTS
I have no plans to end your primer on a sour note so here's two game-winning threes.
The first comes courtesy of LaQuinton Ross. His splashy triple sent Ohio State past Arizona and into the 2013 Elite Eight.
Q's three capped a 17-point night and came a week after Aaron Craft did this to Iowa State.
Bring on the Madness.
