The Top Five Shots From The Thad Matta Era

By Nick Clarkson on June 10, 2017 at 8:45 am
In case you forgot, Aaron Craft cashed this shot.
Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
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Matt Sylvester. Ron Lewis. Evan Turner. Aaron Craft. LaQuinton Ross. What do these former Buckeyes have in common? They all saved Ohio State basketball at one point in their careers.

Matt Sylvester vs. Illinois

2005 marks just the beginning of the Thad Matta era of Ohio State basketball, and no shot was bigger in his 13 years than Matt Sylvester's triple from the wing to put the Buckeyes up by one and give them the eventual 65-64 win.

Entering the matchup, Illinois boasted a 29-0 record through the play of stars like Dee Brown and Deron Williams. On March 6 during the last game of the regular season, however, it was Sylvester's time for the spotlight.

The Buckeyes' victory shocked the nation, and in just Matta's second season at the helm, set the stage for how he would build the program for the next decade.

The Illini ended their regular season at 29-1 after leaving Columbus, ran through the B1G tournament en route to a conference crown, and would ultimately would finish runner-up in the NCAA tournament after falling to North Carolina in the National Championship game.

Ron Lewis vs. Xavier

Ohio State was at the top of the basketball world two seasons later, and in the second round of the 2007 NCAA tournament, their shot at the program's first national title since 1960 was saved by the smooth stroke of Ron Lewis.

Trailing by two with nine seconds remaining, Xavier's Justin Cage stepped up the charity stripe for two shots to seal the game. He drained the first, while the second rimmed out — giving Ohio State one final chance.

Mike Conley Jr. carried it up the floor with clock running down before pitching it to Lewis, who stepped into a 25-footer and buried it to tie the game at 62, sending the game into overtime.

Ohio State would go on to win the game and the next three to reach the National Championship game, before being overpowered by Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and the Florida Gators.

Evan Turner vs. Michigan

When you think of Evan Turner's Ohio State career, the first thing that may come to mind would be his buzzer beater from the parking lot in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big Ten tournament.

With 2.2 seconds left, Turner took the inbounds pass from David Lighty, dribbled just past half court and tossed up a prayer. As a fan knowing Turner's game, you knew it had a chance to go in as the ball soared through the air, and as the horn sounded, the Ohio State bench ran to maul Turner at midcourt as he had drained it to advance the Buckeyes to the semifinals.

The shot even produced a Tiger Woods-esque fist pump from Matta on the sidelines, as he knew his National Player of the Year candidate had just save his team from an early and embarrassing exit from TTUN.

Aaron Craft vs. Iowa State

Somewhat similarly to Turner, Aaron Craft's name in Ohio State basketball history is synonymous with his three-pointer against Iowa State in the third round of the 2013 NCAA tournament.

As time wound down in a game knotted at 75, Craft dribbled the air out of the basketball until the moment was right. The scrappy point guard set-up for a contested three, fired and buried the game winner with just two-tenths of a second to play to crush Cyclones fans' hearts at University of Dayton arena.

In usual Craft fashion, he wouldn't celebrate until the clock was at all zeros, and despite his teammates attempting to congratulate him, he just motioned them to get back to focusing on defense.

LaQuinton Ross vs. Arizona

The 2013 tournament didn't just feature Craft's winner from range, but also produced another clutch shot from the Buckeyes' LaQuinton Ross.

In the Sweet Sixteen — the game following the Iowa State win — more fireworks were produced from Ohio State. Tied with Arizona at 70, Craft dribbled at the top of the key before receiving a screen from Ross. Ross ran the pick-and-pop to perfection, as Craft dished a pass to an open Ross, who fired a 25 footer and cashed in to give the Scarlet and Gray a three-point lead with two seconds remaining.

The victory over Sean Miller's Wildcats propelled the Buckeyes into the Elite Eight, where they crashed out of the NCAA tournament after a loss to March's Cinderella Wichita State.

As the Chris Holtmann age of Buckeye basketball begins, I expect more of these types of shots to begin to arise in years to come. However, hopefully games will not get to a point where late-game heroics are necessary.

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