Expectations high for OSU basketball

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

In an otherwise dreary 11 months at Ohio State filled with NCAA problems, a bit of salvation could be just around the corner.

The men’s basketball team of coach Thad Matta is coming off a sterling 34-3 record and has three stars back. The Buckeyes — unlike their football brethren — were joking about the lofty expectations surrounding the team.

“It’s a motivational thing when a fan comes up to you and says, ’You have to win this year’,” Jared Sullinger said. “It’s like all the spotlights are on us for the first time. It’s like, whoa. Let me step back, it’s a shocker.”

Last year’s team won its first 24 games to climb to undisputed No. 1. The Buckeyes lost two road games at Wisconsin and Purdue before clinching the Big Ten’s regular-season and then tournament titles. They coasted through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, winning by an average of 31 points, before running into a red-hot Kentucky team that hung a stinging 62-60 loss on the Buckeyes.

Gone from that team are three mainstays: record-setting 3-point shooter Jon Diebler, versatile defender David Lighty and shot-blocker Dallas Lauderdale.

This year’s version of the Buckeyes includes only one senior (four-year starting shooting guard William Buford) and just a single junior scholarship player (Boston College transfer Evan Ravenel). Everybody else is either in their first or second year in the program.

But, oh, how good those youngsters are. Sullinger was an All-American a year ago as a freshman. DeShawn Thomas is 6-foot-7 but never saw a jumper he wouldn’t take. Freshmen Amir Williams (6-11), Sam Thompson (6-7) and Trey McDonald (6-8) could offer instant help inside, along with Evan Ravenel (6-8) and J.D. Weatherspoon (6-6).

Aaron Craft takes over on the point where he could be paired with Georgia high school phenom Shannon Scott. Jordan Sibert and Lenzelle Smith Jr. will likely see plenty of action off the bench.

Matta recognizes that Ohio State’s fans have a lot invested in his team.

“The one thing I’ve learned in eight years at Ohio State is these people have great passion for this university,” he said. “They want this university to do well. There’s been a couple of bumps along the way. But our mindset doesn’t change from the standpoint of, we’re always going to try to put the best product out on the floor that we possibly can.”