Ohio State's dream of a national championship dissipated in the East Regional Semifinals on Friday night as the Kentucky Wildcats dealt the top-seeded Buckeyes a devastating defeat.
The contest, despite its unsatisfactory outcome, was indeed a classic, and it contained all the key elements of a memorable NCAA Tournament game. Neither team led by more than 7 points, and 39 minutes of intense action set the stage for a memorable finish.
Trailing 60-57, Thad Matta called a timeout and diagrammed a perfect play that resulted in Jon Diebler's 25-foot, game-tying 3-pointer.
Kentucky, though, had an answer, and it was quick. John Calipari decided not to stop the clock, and the move paid immediate dividends when Brandon Knight drilled an off-balance jump shot with 9 seconds remaining.
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| The shot that ended OSU's season |
Matta could have used another timeout, but he thought that would allow UK the chance to regroup defensively. However, the 'Cats swiftly recovered and forced William Buford, who had previously missed 13 shots, to attempt a contested jumper from well beyond the 3-point arc. The desperate heave almost went in, but it bounced off target as the buzzer sounded. The Buckeyes' magical season, which included both a Big Ten regular season and a Big Ten tournament title, was over.
Each squad was led by its dominant big man. Kentucky's Josh Harrellson scored 17 and hauled in 10 rebounds while Jared Sullinger tallied 21 and yanked down 16 boards. Following the game, Sullinger announced he would be returning for his sophomore year, and Buford also claimed he would be back next season.
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