‘What If’ Ohio State men’s basketball beat Kentucky in 2011?
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Was this season the best chance Thad Matta had at winning a national championship?
Throughout the Thad Matta era of
Ohio State mens basketball, success was something everyone got used to. Conference championships, winning basketball and deep runs in the NCAA Tournament were expectations, not exceptions.
However, one season that will go down in infamy for the wrong reason was 2011.
The 2010-11 Ohio State Buckeyes were arguably Thad Matta’s most talented team (no one will argue if you say it is 2006-07, but it up for debate). The Buckeyes finished the regular season an amazing 29-2 overall and 16-2 in the Big Ten. They went 13-0 in the non-conference schedule, with wins over Florida, Florida State and South Carolina.
The only two losses the Buckeyes had were against No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 11 Purdue. Both games were on the road at two of the most difficult places to play in the conference. They finished with five wins over ranked opponents.
The Buckeyes went 3-0 in the
Big Ten Tournament, beating Penn State 71-60 in the championship game. Ohio State earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, starting off with a match-up against No. 16 seed UTSA, winning 75-46. The Buckeyes were challenged early in that contest, but they led 37–21 at halftime and ran away with the win.
Ohio State then moved on to the Round of 32, facing the No. 8 seed George Mason. Ohio State faced no issues, winning 98-66 to get to the Sweet 16 and set up a showdown against Kentucky. Led by seniors Jon Diebler and David Lighty, Ohio State doubled up George Mason, leading 52-26 at the half.
And then, the infamous Kentucky game. An Ohio State offense that looked like it couldn’t be stopped scored only 60 points and lost to Kentucky 62-60 after a Brandon Knight go-ahead shot with five seconds left in the game.
Jon Diebler hit a long three-pointer to tie the game at 60 with 15 seconds remaining, but he was unable to get the ball to try and win it for the Buckeyes after William Buford’s game-winning three-pointer came up just short, ending Ohio State’s season.
Buford finished 2-for-16, Diebler finished 5-for-10 from the field, and Jared Sullinger led Ohio State with 21 points and 16 rebounds. For Kentucky, Josh Harrellson finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and DeAndre Liggins finished with 15 points and six rebounds off the bench.
The reason this is a ‘What If’ and, in my opinion, Thad Matta’s best chance to win a championship, is the path they would have had. If they beat Kentucky, they would have played North Carolina in the Elite Eight, who was good but beatable, proven by the fact that Kentucky beat them.
In the Final Four, they would have played UConn, who really only had Kemba Walker, and Ohio State would have felt good throwing David Lighty and Aaron Craft on him. Then, in the final, they would have played No. 8 seed Butler, and the Buckeyes were better than the Bulldogs.
In other years, like 2006-07, the Buckeyes made the final but lost to a better team in Florida. That happens. It was the same in 2011-12 when the Buckeyes lost to a very good Kansas team, but even if they won that, they would have played an Anthony Davis-led Kentucky in the final and likely lost that game.
In 2011-12, the bracket broke in a great way for the Buckeyes, but they fell into the Sweet 16 and could not take advantage. I will go to my grave saying if Ohio State wins this game, they win the 2011 National Championship.
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