Eleven Warriors

The Millennium Force was tame in comparison to Ohio State’s up-and-down roller coaster of a season. A No. 4 national ranking in the preseason brought high hopes, even in October as the football Buckeyes were in the midst of an undefeated season under first-year head coach and soon-to-be emperor, Urban Meyer.

Now, some five months later, the focus has shifted fully to football, but not after a season of thrills for basketball fans. It started with a highly anticipated game aboard an aircraft carrier that was cancelled and ended with a heartbreaking defeat in the Elite Eight.

When Ohio State took the court against Marquette in Charleston, S.C., many believed the Buckeyes were over-ranked. A game against the gritty Golden Eagles would have gone a long way in determining Ohio State’s legitimacy. But condensation on the court put an end to the unique event on the USS Yorktown.
Three weeks later, even in defeat, the Buckeyes proved themselves worthy of a top-10 ranking. Leading for almost 40 minutes, Ohio State came ‘this close’ to ending the Duke Blue Devils' non-conference home win streak, which has stretched to triple digits.

Another close loss was had at home against highly ranked Kansas. The Buckeyes led at one point, but were overpowered by the Jayhawks strong in-and-out game, featuring Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey. When Illinois dominated Ohio State from start to finish in early January, the Buckeyes fell to 0-3 against ranked opponents and red flags were starting to emerge.

Head coach Thad Matta showed no panic, though, saying he’d seen his team enough and knew they could play good basketball. That statement came to fruition less than two weeks later when Ohio State beat then-undefeated and now Final Four-bound Michigan in Value City Arena. 

OFFICIAL NOTICE

TO: Football coaches
FROM: Department Of Honorable Raffle Maintenance And Non-News
SUBJECT: Let’s keep it clean!

Friends,

Football camp season is almost here, and as you prepare your curricula, finalize your athletic and medical staffs and confirm all logistics, the Department Of Honorable Raffle Maintenance And Non-News wants to emphasize the least important aspect of your upcoming program: Ensuring your camp raffle is conducted with the highest level of integrity.

We here at D.O.H.R.M.A.N.N know that raffle incorruptibility is an overlooked aspect of your camp operations. It’s essentially an assistant running to the Apple store to pick up a few gift cards, or having your staff hastily autograph a football to give away. We are less concerned with the nature of the gift as we are with the actual drawing.

Budgets are tight, otherwise we would provide an on-site auditor to ensure that your designated Raffle Coordinator is blindly drawing a name out of a sweaty hat or a rusty drum without bias toward that camper’s ability or college prospects. Because that’s how players are illegally and unscrupulously recruited to colleges: Petty cash gift cards and autographed footballs at camps like yours. Miraculously rebuilt churches without a paper trail, Land Rovers for entire families and six-figure checks are far less concerning.

These figurative paper cuts – from fixed football camp raffles – only get infected with age. We’re trying to save you from what could eventually fester into a mortal wound.

Because you just never know if an attention-starved journalist with delusions of grandeur is going to come sniffing around 30 years from now to blow your crooked caper wide open. Your deepest, darkest fears may be realized when the general public abruptly realizes just How Deep It Went.

Happy camping!

Your friends at D.O.H.R.M.A.N.N

College football fans think games are won and lost by the athletes and the coaches. It is the players and coaches, after all, that work the nested hierarchy of the profession to land at the highest stage of the game, like college football. It is also the players and coaches that take devastating losses personally, with professional consequences that can become personal. These are half-truths. We footballs — the actual balls themselves — are part of the game.

My name is Rick. I'm a football and I was part of Ohio State's 2011 collapse at Nebraska. This is my story.

Where I met my fate.

I always dreamed of playing big-time college football. Football is my life. I AM a football and I wanted to be the best. But, it was hard to entertain dreams of glory growing up in Uhrichsville, Ohio. The quality of football is far from great. It was basically just me, Lawrence, and Alshon. Lawrence (he always insisted on being called Larry) stopped developing after grade school and still remains in Tuscarawas County as a pee wee football. Last I checked, Alshon resides in the garage of the McGillicuty family on Center Street. We haven't talked since high school, though I wish him well.

During high school, I sought the tutelage of Papa Jerry. I called him Papa Jerry because he was like a father football to me. Papa Jerry was the best tutor I could find in Tuscarawas County, having been a football for Marietta College in the mid-1970s. Papa Jerry agreed to take me underneath his stitching, but always told me to temper my dreams. Maybe I could get a walk-on offer at Ohio Northern. Maybe I could get a scholarship to his alma mater in Marietta. But maybe wasn't good enough for me. When I got the preferred walk-on offer from The Ohio State University in 2007, ol' Jerry couldn't believe it.

I redshirted my first year at Ohio State. I worked hard and learned as much as I could, but keep a low profile. Beyond some scout team honors for my work in helping Ohio State prepare for Purdue in 2007, I didn't make an immediate impression. The depth chart ahead of me was outstanding. Only the best footballs get used at Ohio State. Still, I was part of some great teams and some great memories. My highlight to that point had been a celebratory spike from Brian Rolle in 2009.

My time came in 2011: I was going to be in the rotation for our game at Nebraska. It promised to be a signature day. I was going to be a part of Ohio State's first visit to Lincoln and Nebraska's first Big Ten home game. I worked my ass off during practice that week, which is made all the more difficult because footballs really don't have asses. I worked that hard and, for a while, it showed during the game itself. I like to think Carlos Hyde's 63-yard touchdown run was a team effort between he and I.

And then Braxton Miller got injured and Joe Bauserman had to come in. Don't get me wrong. I like Joe, but things went south in a hurry. Without Braxton, and with Bollman and Siciliano in the booth, we were a ship without a rudder.

The worst of it came late in the fourth quarter, having already lost the lead and all of the momentum, Joe hurled me into the stands on a 3rd and 10 with the game tied. I was intended for Devin Smith. I landed on a poor Nebraska fan in the 24th row of Memorial Stadium. Ashley Jo Hansen was fine. Her soda and nachos were not. The injuries I suffered from that throw effectively ended my college football career and to make matters worse, we lost that game on that next Nebraska possession.

This is where we get back to those half-truths I mentioned earlier. I took that loss incredibly hard. I couldn't convince myself that I wasn't a cause of that crushing loss. I could've done better to navigate myself into Devin Smith's arms. I should've. With my career over, I couldn't have a chance at redemption. It ate me up inside (my inner rubber, that is). For months, I tried to wash away the pain and trauma of that defeat through liquor. All the vodka in Columbus couldn't soothe that pain I felt inside me.

My turning point came in May of last year. After waking up in a dumpster outside Brothers Bar & Grill, I knew I needed a change. I lost many friends that October night in Lincoln, but I was spared. My career was over, but my life didn't have to be. I committed myself to change.

Since then, I'm on the straight and narrow. I found a job working at a Mt. Vernon YMCA. The pay is decent and the hours are great. Importantly, I'm happy. It's there that I met my fiance, Veronica. She's a badminton racket. Things are moving pretty quickly between us, but I feel I'm in a good place now.

I get asked by my coworkers, especially the dodgeballs, if I have any regrets. Yeah, I do wish some things would've worked out differently, but life is about the journey.

Do I begrudge the experience at Ohio State? Not at all. I follow the Bucks every Saturday on TV. Go Bucks.

Wow. It's been a long time since we've had to discuss a hardwood loss around here.

You never like to lose to a 9-seed with a berth in the Final Four on the line, but I'm more at peace with Ohio State's 70-66 loss to Wichita State than I could have ever hoped to be.

The path was certainly there. The West Region of this tournament might be the easiest group we'll ever see in our lifetime, but every team in the tournament, let alone the Elite 8, can play basketball. And whenever you shoot 31% from the floor, your odds of winning a game against a good team start to hover around zero.

WSU simply took advantage of matchup problems, particularly in the paint, played tremendous defense to force Ohio State into an awful night and they're moving on.

You'll hear a lot about how the Buckeyes overachieved, and I think there's something to that. This is a team that was getting better, but still had a few glaring weaknesses. And they caught up with the Buckeyes.

Let's face it. This team was not going to win the NCAA championship. Were any of you really looking forward to an Amir Williams-Gorgul Dieng matchup in the Final Four?

Still, they showed a lot of heart and treated us to an amazing March. Thad could have lost this team following the blowout in Champaign, or the after Madtown Massacre. Tubby Smith is out of a job for losing his team.

But he didn't. He pushed them into buying into defense and this team went from a group that was headed for an early exit to one that came up just short of Atlanta. They fell into a hole Saturday night, but showed a lot of fight by making a game out of it.

Ending the season with a game as perplexing as last night's 70-66 defeat at the hands of a 9th-seeded – though hat-tippingly tough – Wichita squad has a tendency to bring the naysayers to the surface. 

Matta won 11 of the final 12 games plus another B1G title

There's no question the loss was a trainwreck as Ohio State fell into an early hole that grew to as large as 20 points midway through the 2nd half before making a late run that didn't have quite enough juice.

The typically sturdy Aaron Craft was decidedly awful, missing 10 of 12 shots as the Shockers practically begged him to shoot. Fellow seasoned vet Deshaun Thomas, who will most likely leave for the professional ranks, misfired on nine of his first 13 shots before rallying to tally 23 points. Junior, and two-year starter, Lenzelle Smith Jr. was held to single-digit points (5) for the 10th time in the last 11 games. Ohio State shot 31%, their second-worst effort of the season. They missed 20 of 25 triple tries. I could go on and on but you saw it. You get the idea. 

Still, while the loss stings and there's a select few throwing out their frustration-fueled negative hyperbole amidst the rest of the fanbase looking to keep perspective, it's important to remember that this year's Ohio State Buckeyes set a school record for reaching a fourth straight Sweet 16, earned a #2 seed in the Big Dance, made some significant strides as a team, saw a handful of returning players show a ton of individual growth, won 29 games, and closed the year by going on a captivating 11-game win streak before things ended with a thud. 

There's no guarantee the Buckeyes will be a better team next season. In fact, it's entirely possible they could struggle to consistently score points if Deshaun does decide to turn pro. Of course, there's also the distinct possibility the returning players continue their development over the summer and the incoming Marc Loving and Kameron Williams add meaningful depth, giving Ohio State another top 10 caliber squad.

What also shouldn't be forgotten is just how special of a run this team cobbled together after looking dead in the water at 8-5 in the B1G conference following Wisconsin's manhood-stripping of the Buckeyes in a 71-49 blowout that preceded the late-season charge. 

LOS ANGELES – There’s been an unspoken intrigue surrounding Ohio State’s entire season: would it be Deshaun Thomas’ final year in scarlet and gray? The answer is still unknown.

Following his 23-point performance in a 70-66 losing effort against Wichita State, Thomas evaded questions about his future, saying he has not come to a decision nor given it much thought.

“I’m just going to go home, enjoy my family, get back in the gym, and think about this,” he said. “This is a great group of guys I have around me and great coaching staff, so I’m going to enjoy my time off and not remember this loss and get back in the gym and get better.”

Thomas was an All-Big Ten selection this season and led the conference in scoring at nearly 20 points per game. He is widely expected to forego his final year of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft, even though he’s projected as a second-round pick. Thomas has a 1-year-old child, which could factor into his decision.

The Buckeyes’ other pro talent, LaQuinton Ross, ended any speculation about his future by revealing he hasn’t even considered leaving Ohio State.

“I’m coming back next year,” he said. “Right now, I really haven’t thought about next season. I really haven’t thought about that. I’ve only been focused on this year.”

LOS ANGELES – For 40 days and 40 nights, Ohio State had magic on its side.

An 11-game win streak included wins over top-five teams, a Big Ten Tournament championship and back-to-back buzzer-beating victories in the NCAA Tournament. But when it needed to pull a rabbit out of hat against No. 9 seed Wichita State in the West Regional final, the trick couldn’t be completed.

“As we talked about in the locker room, we played so well for such an extended period of time, and we weren’t very good to start the game,” said Ohio State head coach Thad Matta. “Give Wichita State credit. Tremendous, unbelievable basketball team. They’re playing as well as any team we’ve played this year.”

In a nightmarish 30-minute span, the second-seeded Buckeyes fell behind by 20 points, shooting poorly, lacking energy and generally being outplayed by the Cinderella Shockers. Ohio State missed its first seven shot attempts, five of which came from Deshaun Thomas, and didn’t score until nearly four minutes had elapsed.

With 12:09 left in the second half, Wichita State led, 53-33. Sensing the season was on the brink, the Buckeyes mustered a 23-6 run that cut the deficit to three points. But that was as close as they could get, losing, 70-66, at Staples Center.

“It’s as tough a loss we’ve had,” Thomas said.

Amir Williams gets the 11W Open Thread bounce tonight. Do it, big fella.

This game is largely meaningless to Ohio State. Feel free to pick a mascot and go with that team. If you're still having trouble picking a side, Jim Boeheim is kind of a jerk, if that helps.

We'll be back with an open thread for tonight's main event.

#2 Ohio State 29-7, 13-5 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

March 30, 2013 7:05 PM ET - CBS —— Staples Center Los Angeles, CA

#9 Wichita state 29-8, 12-6 MVC Roster | Schedule

Dating to the 2006 NCAA Tournament, so-called mid-major programs have advanced to the Final Four on four separate occasions. Twice they’ve played for the national championship. Wichita State hopes to add its name to that list in 2013.

The Shockers have traversed their tourney field with relative ease, winning three games by a combined 36 points. They went to the 1965 Final Four and are poised to return.

“They play so well, but just like Cinderella, when the clock strikes 12, everything disappears and the magic goes away,” said Ohio State guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. “We want to be that clock that strikes and they turn back into a normal team.”

Not many – and by not many, I mean no one – predicted ninth-seeded Wichita State to get this far. They had to get past No. 1 seed Gonzaga en route and then another high seed after that. At least that was the thinking. The West Region followed no script, though.

The 4 and 5 seeds both lost in the first round, clearing Wichita State’s path after it defeated the Zags in the second round. No. 13 seed La Salle offered little resistance for Wichita State’s high-powered offense.

Needless to say, the Shockers have the Buckeyes’ full attention.

“I think sometimes early on that teams can get caught by surprise,” said Ohio State forward Sam Thompson. “Sometimes anything can happen in the tournament.

“Wichita State has won three games in a row in this tournament and they really made their mark on this tournament. They knocked out Gonzaga, the No. 1 team in the country for a few weeks at the end of the season, so we know that they are here to play.”