When Ohio State made it to the Final Four

[ScriptOhio]

Just sayin': In case you would like to remember and/or just read about the times Ohio State did make the Final Four.

Ohio State has made 10-11official appearances in the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, with the 1999 trip vacated due to NCAA sanctions. Their most recent appearance was in 2012, with a storied history including three straight trips from 1960–62 and 1944–46, and a national title in 1960.

Ohio State Final Four Appearances:

• 1939: Lost in the Championship game to Oregon.
• 1944: Lost in the Semifinals to Dartmouth.
• 1945: Lost in the Semifinals to NYU.
• 1946: Lost in the Semifinals to UNC.
• 1960: Won National Championship vs. California (Coach Fred Taylor).
• 1961: Lost in the Championship game to Cincinnati.
• 1962: Lost in the Championship game to Cincinnati.
• 1968: Lost in the Semifinals.
• 1999: Vacated (Originally reached Semifinals under Coach Jim O'Brien).
• 2007: Lost in the Championship game to Florida (Coach Thad Matta).
• 2012: Lost in the Semifinals to Kansas (Coach Thad Matta).
  
  The Buckeyes have four National Runner-up finishes (1939, 1961, 1962, 2007) in addition to their 1960 championship title

Looking Back at Ohio State Basketball's 11 Trips to the Final Four

Just making the Dance was a success for Chris Holtmann's squad this year but here's a look at the 11 Buckeye squads in school history to reach the Final Four.

www.elevenwarriors.com

Looking Back at Ohio State Basketball's 11 Trips to the Final Four​

It was considered quite the accomplishment to even make the NCAA Tournament field this year after Chris Holtmann's squad went 18-13 during the regular season but deep tournament runs aren't as scarce in program history as one might think.

Yes, Ohio State owns just one national title, coming way back in 1960, but the school boasts 11 Final Four appearances which is good for sixth-most in NCAA history.

For perspective, that's three more than both Indiana and Michigan and one more than Michigan State. (I'm, of course, counting the vacated 1999 Final Four but it happened, I saw it.)

With the 2019 Final Four set to tip-off this Saturday, here's a look at Ohio State's 11 trips in school history.

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THE FIRST EVER...​

Ohio State's first Final Four came in 1939 which also served as the first ever version of the NCAA Tournament.
Only eight teams were invited to participate, while the NIT hosted its own six-team field, and the Buckeyes did work beating Wake Forest and Villanova over a two-day stretch in Philadelphia to reach the title game.
In Evanston, Illinois nine days later, Ohio State fell 46-33 to the Oregon Webfoots in the title tilt as Jimmy Hull became the only Buckeye not named Jerry Lucas to win the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. Interestingly, both came in losing efforts.
Harold Olsen's squad (who is a hoops legend you should read about) went 16-7 on the season and 10-2 in Big Ten play to earn a bid in the Big Waltz or whatever they called it back then.

THREE IN A ROW​

With coach Olsen still at the controls, Ohio State made it to three-straight Final Fours from 1944 through 1946.
Two-time All-American Dick Grate paced the '44 and '45 squads to Final Four trips leading both to 10-2 records in conference play.
With the field still just at eight teams, Ohio State beat Temple in Madison Square Garden to reach the 1944 Final Four but fell to Dartmouth, 60-53, the following day. The next season, Grate led the Buckeyes to a win over Kentucky vaulting them into the Final Four but two days later they would fall to New York University, again in Madison Square Garden, in a 70-65 overtime heartbreaker.
In 1946, Ohio State again made the eight-team field and won the first game, a 46-38 decision over Harvard, before again losing its Final Four match up in overtime, this time against North Carolina. The Buckeyes did go on to beat Cal in the third-place game.
Olsen hung up his whistle after the '46 season and his 259 career wins at Ohio State rank third on the school's all-time list behind Thad Matta (337) and Fred Taylor (297).
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[ScriptOhio]

Remember When: Ohio State Went On a Cinderella Run To Reach The 1968 Final Four

Fred Taylor's Buckeyes thought there'd be no postseason but then they got an assist from Michigan that led to three straight wins during an improbable run to the 1968 Final Four.

www.elevenwarriors.com

Remember When: Ohio State Went On a Cinderella Run To Reach The 1968 Final Four​

A 14-year Final Four hiatus, a 12-year absence from the Sweet 16, just three NCAA Tournament wins across the last 10 seasons and therefore a general irrelevance within the national college basketball landscape might have your OSU hoops fandom ranging from malaise to anger to apathy but the reality is Ohio State has a deep basketball tradition including 11 trips to the Final Four.

The school's first Final Four appearance came back in 1939 and the most recent occurred in 2012. The most important is obviously the 1960 trip as it ultimately evolved into Ohio State hoops winning it's one and only national title.

Today we look at the most improbable Final Four trip, as earned by the 1967-68 squad led by legendary head coach Fred Taylor.

Expectations were low entering the season - the media picked the Buckeyes to finish 9th in the Big Ten - after the 1966-67 squad limped to a 13-11 overall mark including a 6-8 record in league play to tie for 7th place in what was Taylor's 9th season at the helm. Those low expectations took another hit just before the season was set to tip off as junior Jeff Miller, after leading the team in minutes as a sophomore, endured a career-ending knee injury.

With Miller on the shelf, Ohio State would rely on a talented frontline headlined by center Bill Hosket and forwards Dave Sorenson and Steve Howell. Point guard Denny Meadors also proved a clutch performer for the scarlet and gray.

The Buckeyes significantly outpaced the gloom and doom prediction finishing the regular season with a 17-7 overall record including a 10-4 mark in Big Ten play featuring a three-game win streak to end the regular season league slate, capped by a win over Illinois in Assembly Hall on March 4.

Only one team from each conference qualified for the NCAA Tournament in those days, and since first place Iowa, by virtue of a 10-3 record, was a 15-point favorite to beat a 5-8 Michigan team at home in a game scheduled for March 8, Ohio State went ahead and held their team appreciation banquet and turned in their jerseys the day after the March 4 victory over the Illini.

Assuming their season was over, the Buckeyes held light workouts for a few days but then on the night of the 8th, a first dose of March Madness kicked in as the Wolverines pulled off a 71-70 stunner in Iowa City with the Hawkeyes missing a potential game-winning shot just before the final buzzer. An anecdote shared by Hosket years later said Taylor sent Michigan head coach Dave Strack a Varsity O blanket as a Thank You for knocking off Iowa.

With both teams tied at 10-4 league records, historically that meant the Big Ten team that hadn't been to the Dance most recently would get the bid. That would've been the Hawkeyes by virtue of Ohio State earning an NCAA bid in 1962... but in May of 1967 the Big Ten honchos passed a rule to create a one-game winner-take-all tiebreaker in which the victor would be declared the Big Ten champion and earn the conference's lone NCAA Tournament bid.

The ruling came on the heels of Michigan State and Indiana tying for the regular season crown the year prior and the Hoosiers won the bid because Sparty had been to the tournament more recently.

The tiebreaker tilt between OSU and Iowa was a neutral site affair staged in Purdue Arena (which was a brand new building that you'll recognize by it's current name - Mackey Arena) exactly one week after the Buckeyes held their end of season banquet. A snow storm and the neutral site led to not even 5,000 fans attending as the Buckeyes nearly blew a 12-point lead but escaped with an 85-81 victory to win the league title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Unranked but in the Dance, even as the OSU shot-callers didn't want to foot the bill to send the cheerleaders and band, Ohio State headed to Lexington, Kentucky for the Mideast Regional where it took on East Tennessee State. The Buckeyes built an 18-point lead before earning a 79-72 win thanks to big nights from Howell (22 points), Hosket (18) and Sorenson (14).

The win set up a date with No. 3 ranked Kentucky on its home court in Memorial Coliseum where it was undefeated that season. The Buckeyes built a modest 44-40 halftime lead which climbed to an 8-point cushion at 54-46 before the Wildcats began chipping away as Taylor was forced to strategically deploy Hosket after picking up his fourth foul with 7:32 left in regulation. Kentucky would eventually take a 1-point lead but with just five seconds left and OSU with possession under its own basket, Hosket found Sorenson of the inbounds and "Sunshine" promptly buried a 5-footer off the glass with two seconds left to complete the stunning upset.

Sorenson's game-winner gave him a team-high 22 points on the night while Hosket added 21 points and 12 boards and Howell contributed 20 and 7. The ever-cranky Rupp skipped the postgame presser and Ohio State advanced to the Final Four.

"Some say we were good, some say we were lucky, all I know is we're in L.A. and Rupp is still in Kentucky."– Line from a poem written by OSU guard Bruce Schnabel after OSU's stunning upset victory

The 1968 Final Four was staged in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum where the Buckeyes would face No. 4 ranked North Carolina while the other matchup saw the No. 1 ranked Houston Cougars take on John Wooden's vaunted (and heavily paid) UCLA Bruins.
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https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2007/12/21/mens-basketball-final-four-flashback

Men’s Basketball Final Four Flashback – Ohio State Buckeyes​

The Buckeyes take on Florida Saturday in a rematch of the 2007 NCAA Championship game. Relive Ohio State’s run to the Final Four.
First Round: Ohio State 78, CCSU 57
Mar. 15, 2007, Lexington, Kentucky
LEXINGTON-Greg Oden finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season as the Buckeyes won their 18th straight game in the First Round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament against Central Connecticut State. Jamar Butler scored 17 points and Ron Lewis added 13 for the Buckeyes. Ohio State needed less than 5 minutes to build a double-digit lead and kept the pressure on well into the second half. Javier Mojica led Central Connecticut with 19 points. With the Blue Devils double- and triple-teaming Oden, Butler and Lewis had plenty of wide-open looks from the outside and took full advantage. Five of Ohio State’s first six field goals were 3-pointers, and by the time the Blue Devils caught their breath, they were down 17-3. CCSU eventually collected itself, but by then the Buckeyes and Oden had left little doubt about their dominance.

Second Round: Ohio State 78, Xavier 71 OT
Mar. 17, 2007, Lexington, Kentucky
LEXINGTON-Ron Lewis’ long 3-pointer with two seconds left forced overtime, then Mike Conley Jr. dominated the extra period for a 78-71 victory over Xavier in a second-round South Regional game. The Buckeyes’ rallied from an 11-point deficit in regulation. Ohio State trailed 55-44 with 7 1/2 minutes left, and was still down 61-52 with 2:54 left. Oden fouled out with under 10 seconds to play. Xavier’s Justin Cage then made of one of two foul shots with 9.3 seconds left for a 62-59 lead, giving Ohio State its last chance. Lewis came down and, with two defenders flying at him, swished the tying 3-pointer from several feet beyond the arc. With Oden on the bench, fellow freshman – and high school teammate – Conley took over. He scored 11 points in overtime and the Buckeyes were never threatened again in winning their 19th straight game. The Buckeyes, who finished No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll, advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 1992. Ohio State leads to the series 3-1, with Xavier’s only victory coming in the opening round of the 1984 National Invitation Tournament.
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National Champinoship: Florida 84, Ohio State 75
Apr. 2, 2007, Atlanta, Georgia
ATLANTA-The Ohio State men’s basketball team fell to Florida, 84-75, in the 2007 NCAA Tournament Championship game in the Georgia Dome. Freshman center Greg Oden led the Buckeyes with 25 points and 12 rebounds, his 14th double-double of the season. Florida led 40-29 at the half with the help of a 6-for-9 3-point clip. It was just the sixth time this season Ohio State has trailed at the break. The Buckeyes cut the Florida advantage to seven twice in the second half, the second after Ron Lewis converted a driving lay up to make it 51-44 with less than 13 minutes to play. Florida pushed its lead back out to 14 at 61-47 after Chris Richard converted an old-fashioned 3-point point with nine minutes to play. Ohio State again made a push and sliced its deficit to 66-60 at the 5-minute mark after Oden connected on two free throws. Again Florida countered. This time, Taurean Green nailed the Gator’s 10th 3-pointer of the night. Al Hordford sunk a 12-footer to up Florida’s lead to 73-62 with a little more than three minutes to play. The Gators never looked back, winning their second national championship in a row. Mike Conley pitched in 20 for the Buckeyes and joined Oden on the 2007 All-Tournament team. Ron Lewis was the third Buckeye to score double figures with 12 points and Ivan Harris added seven in their final game as Buckeyes. Ohio State made its fifth appearance in the national title game. The Buckeyes last won the NCAA championship in 1960, with a 75-55 victory over California.

 

[ScriptOhio]

It’s been 20 years since Ohio State’s Final Four run in Tampa Bay

You can erase it from the history books, but you can’t erase the memories.

www.landgrantholyland.com

It’s been 20 years since Ohio State’s Final Four run in Tampa Bay​

You can erase it from the history books, but you can’t erase the memories.

As the 2019 Final Four gears up for tipoff and a national champion to be crowned on Monday, we’ve now hit the 20-year mark of the Final Four that, supposedly, didn’t happen for the Ohio State Buckeyes. You won’t see a banner hanging from the rafters at the Value City Arena, nor will you see one hanging up in the practice gym. You may see it in some record books, but always accompanied by an asterisk.

You can attempt to erase the the Buckeyes’ wins en route to a Final Four run in Tampa Bay, but the memories will always be there.

With Michael Redd and Scoonie Penn leading the way, let’s take a look back at the magical run Ohio State had in March 1999.

By the time that the regular season ended, OSU reached as high as No. 10 in the AP Poll. They won a game in the Big Ten Tournament, before falling to Illinois in the semifinals. The Buckeyes were the second best team in the Big Ten regular season, going 12-4, and had an overall record of 27-9.

The Tournament​

Ohio State drew the No. 4 seed in the South Region. In their first round game against Murray State, Redd led all scorers with 27 points. Singleton chipped in a double-double en route to 72-58 victory for the Scarlet and Gray.
In the second round, OSU cruised passed Detroit, 75-44. Redd and Penn each dropped 15 points, as the team made 10 three-pointers and 44 percent of their shots from the field.

The Sweet 16 brought chalk matchups. Auburn was the No. 1, and would do battle with the Buckeyes; Maryland was the No. 2 seed, and drew No. 3 St. John’s. That’s where the chalk would end though, as St. John’s defeated UMD, and OSU stunned Auburn.
Ohio State survived, 72-64, but needed a big game from their stars. Penn scored 26, while Redd had 22. Brian Brown had the third-most points for the Bucks in this game — getting nine off 2-of-9 shooting. Auburn had four guys go for double-figure scoring, but the power of Redd and Penn in the point column was the difference maker.

With a trip to Tampa Bay on the line, Ohio State had control in the second half of their Elite 8 contest with St. John’s — leading at one point by 10. However, St. John’s made a push late, and had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds remaining via a pair of free throws. However, Chudney Gray missed the first attempt. He made the second one, but OSU still had a 75-74 advantage. Penn was then fouled, and went to the line for two free throws himself. Like Gray, he missed the first and made the second.

The difference was Penn atoned for the miss by poking the ball away from Erick Barkley as he made his way to the top of the perimeter. Redd scooped the ball and held onto it before being fouled with 0.7 remaining. Redd made the first freebie, but missed the second. A three-quarter court heave was dialed up for St. John’s, but it was offline. Just like that, OSU punched their ticket to the Final Four.

Against No. 1 seed Connecticut, Redd and Penn led the way again, but weren’t as effective as in games past. Redd put together a 15-point effort, while Penn tallied 11. However, it was Richard “Rip” Hamilton that doomed the Buckeyes. The future NBA star poured in 24 points against the Bucks, and was the catalyst behind the 64-58 Huskies victory. If there was a silver lining, it’s that OSU lost to the champions, as UConn toppled Duke by three points in the championship game at Tropicana Field.
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Through all of that, you can’t take away the memories from Ohio State’s run to the 1999 Final Four, even if the NCAA tried.

Another article on the same season:

Remember When: Ohio State Went From Big Ten Bottom-Feeder to a Final Four in One Season

Ohio State made an immaculate run to the 1999 Final Four despite going 8-22 and finishing last in the Big Ten the year prior.

www.elevenwarriors.com

 

[ScriptOhio]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1276065-ohio-state-basketball-the-top-5-seasons-in-buckeye-history

Ohio State Basketball: The Top 5 Seasons in Buckeye History​

Comparing basketball teams across different eras is not an easy task. The game today is drastically different than it was back when, say, George Mikan was its most dominant force.

That being said, the task becomes that much more difficult when selecting the greatest teams from a program as decorated as Ohio State’s. Yes, the Buckeyes are better known for the successes of their football counterparts, but the basketball program is nothing to sneeze at.

In fact, there have been 11 Final Four appearances in Ohio State history—good enough for sixth of all time.
Those teams that did not at least make the Final Four were not considered for this list. After all, if enough Buckeye rosters reached college basketball’s grandest stage, it becomes hard to crack a top-five list if yours didn’t.

With that in mind, here are the top-five seasons in Ohio State basketball history.

*All stats and facts are courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com.

Honorable Mention: 1998-99 Season​

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Perhaps an asterisk may be more appropriate than an honorable mention for the 1998-99 Buckeye season.

In the official NCAA record book, this team never existed. Recruiting violations under former Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien’s staff resulted in NCAA penalties that included the forfeiture of the 1998-99 Final Four appearance and a postseason ban.

Nevertheless, this was certainly a successful season for Buckeye basketball, especially since the program had missed the NCAA Tournament entirely the previous six years. Yes, there have been better Ohio State teams and seasons, but considering preseason expectations, it earns an honorable mention.

Buckeye fans will remember this team for its backcourt of Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd, who combined to average more than 35 points a game for the scarlet and gray. Penn scored 22 points and Redd added 20 in Ohio State’s thrilling victory over Ron Artest’s St. John’s squad to earn a surprising spot in the Final Four.

No. 5: 2011-12 Season​

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Just because we are ranking the top seasons in Ohio State history doesn’t mean we have to go that far back in the history books. In fact, last year’s team was plenty successful in its own right.

Among the highlights on the resume was a beat-down of Duke, a regular season Big Ten championship, a first-team All-American and a trip to the Final Four.

That’s not to say the entire year was smooth sailing. A stretch in February that saw Ohio State lose three of five games had Buckeye Nation fretting.

By the end of the regular season, however, the worrying seemed for naught. William Buford (whose inconsistent play was directly responsible for a large portion of the concern) capped off the 2011-12 season with a buzzer-beating (and Big Ten winning) jump shot over Michigan State.

The NCAA Tournament was a combination of gut-wrenching moments, excitement and ultimately, heartbreak. Still, a trip to the Final Four and a Big Ten regular season championship was enough to land last year’s Ohio State squad on this list of successful seasons.

No. 4: 2006-07 Season​

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The beginning of the 2006 basketball season was accompanied by the type of preseason expectations that are typically reserved for the gridiron in Columbus.

The “Thad-Five” recruiting class was on its way, key members of the previous year’s Big Ten championship team were returning and a buzz was running through the campus.

Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and company did not disappoint. The Buckeyes cruised through the regular season and lost only three games (North Carolina, Florida and Wisconsin), none of which were at home.

A 15-1 conference record earned the young Bucks a regular season championship and the top seed in the conference tournament. Ohio State won each game in the Big Ten Tournament by double digits, reaffirming its spot at the top of the conference totem pole.

victories didn’t come as easily in the NCAA Tournament. Serious scares against Xavier and Tennessee probably led to a remote toss or two in Columbus living rooms.

, the Ohio State basketball team met the same fate as its football team that season—a national championship loss to the Florida Gators (at least we got their football coach now).

Even with a difficult championship loss, a trip to the national finals, regular season and tournament conference championships gives the 2006-07 Buckeyes the number four spot on the list.

No. 3: 1961-62 Season​

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Get ready for a pattern to close out this list of Buckeye seasons. Ohio State was good in the early 1960s—really good. In the 1961-62 season, head coach Fred Taylor led his squad to an impressive 26-2 mark and a Big Ten championship.

Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek, arguably the two best players in Ohio State history, provided the Buckeyes with one of the most formidable one-two punches in the history of the Big Ten (and college basketball as a whole).

The powerhouse Buckeyes finished with a 13-1 record in conference play and were primed as one of the primary national title contenders as NCAA Tournament play began. But they ran into a familiar foe in the national title game—the Cincinnati Bearcats.

If Ohio State fans of this generation are tired of seeing the Florida Gators blocking the light at the end of their championship tunnels, fans in the early 60s had to be sick of the Bearcats. The 1961-62 season marked the second consecutive year that the in-state rivals met in the national championship game.

While this season ended in defeat for Ohio State, it was certainly not an unsuccessful campaign.

No. 2: 1960-61 Season​

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The 1960-61 season marked another year and another national championship appearance for the Ohio State Buckeyes of the early 1960s.

Fred Taylor’s squad, behind that dynamic duo of Lucas and Havlicek, steamrolled its way through an undefeated regular season.

Coming off of a national championship season the year before (sorry, spoiler alert), it appeared as if this team would continue the program’s dominance through the NCAA Tournament.

Then came the national championship match-up with, you guessed it, the Cincinnati Bearcats. Despite an undefeated season and the fact that they entered the game as the clear favorites, the Buckeyes fell to Cincinnati in heartbreaking fashion.

Ohio State certainly has a decorated basketball program, but its history would be that much more impressive if it could have figured out a way to beat the Bearcats in the early 60s.

No. 1: 1959-60 Season​

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When ranking the best seasons in Ohio State history, the top spot is never going to be in doubt. Sure, the program has 11 Final Four appearances, but only one of those seasons resulted in the ultimate triumph—the national championship.

Stop me if this duo seems familiar—Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek led the Bucks to a Big Ten championship and a 13-1 conference record before entering the NCAA Tournament. You may have heard of another player on the roster—future Indiana coach Bob Knight came off the bench for coach Fred Taylor.

Good news though—the Cincinnati Bearcats weren’t awaiting their in-state rivals in the 1960 national championship game.

In one of the most dominant tournament performances in history, the Buckeyes won their first three games by margins of 19, 17 and 22 respectively. In the final game, the scarlet and gray cruised to a 20-point victory over California.

As if there was ever a doubt, the lone championship season ranks as the greatest year in Ohio State basketball history. But if Thad Matta continues to win at his current pace, Buckeye fans may be treated to another one sooner rather than later.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I'm sorry, but I have to strenuously object to the phrase, "in-state rivals."