Buckeyes Hang On and Move On to the Final Four – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/22/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 22, 1999
By TOM SHARP
%^$AP Sports Writer%^$
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– Ohio State guard Michael Redd had the Final Four%^$hat, the Final Four shirt, a piece of the net, a big grin on his face and a%^$question to ask.%^$
“They said when we came here we’d had a great season but it had to end%^$here,” he said, wandering the court long after the fans had left the Buckeyes’%^$77-74 South Regional championship victory over St. John’s. “I wonder what%^$they’re going to say now?”%^$
At a minimum, they’ll say Ohio State is in the Final Four for the%^$first time%^$since 1968. And that the Buckeyes have outrun the memory of last year’s 8-22%^$season, and fled all the losing that preceded it – 72 games in four years.%^$
They’ll say that Ohio State isn’t exactly a longshot in St.%^$Petersburg, Fla.%^$They’re a fourth seed.%^$
A lot of them will say unprintable things when they look at their office%^$pool brackets with scratches through the Final Four slot reserved for the%^$South%^$champion, crossed-out names like Auburn or Maryland or St. John’s or Syracuse%^$or Louisville.%^$
And if they watched Saturday’s regional final against St. John’s, they’ll%^$say the Buckeyes deserve to be there.%^$
Ohio State used 38 minutes of excellent play to survive two minutes of%^$white-knuckled terror to send a good St. John’s team home. They’ll take on%^$another Big East team, Connecticut, the No. 1 seed from the West Regional, in%^$the first round of the Final Four.%^$
The Buckeyes once again rode outstanding play from their guards, Scoonie%^$Penn and Michael Redd.%^$
Penn was named the Most Outstanding Player of the regional after a%^$22-point,%^$eight-rebound, five-assist performance Saturday against the Red Storm.%^$
Redd carried the load in the first half with 17 of his 20 points,%^$including%^$a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer that was classic stuff: top of the key,%^$clock ticking down, back and forth between his legs in a hushed gym, letting%^$fly like he was playing HORSE in the back yard for a 41-33 lead at the break.%^$
“It’s really amazing,” said St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis. “I’ve watched%^$the great teams play and they always seem to be the ones that close the end of%^$a half. … I’ll be seeing those two guys in my sleep for the next couple of%^$weeks.”%^$ The Buckeyes were Ken Johnson’s 12 points and seven blocks, two on the%^$opening possession of the game that told the Red Storm to come inside with a%^$purpose if they dared come at all.%^$
They were Jason Singleton cutting behind the zone St. John’s was%^$forced to%^$use in the second half to control Redd, taking a 25-foot bullet from Penn on%^$the way to 13 points, making 6-of-7 shots from the floor.%^$
The Buckeyes shot 55 percent and won despite getting out-rebounded 45-28.%^$
They were shaky at the end when St. John’s “refused to go nicely,” in the%^$words of coach Jim O’Brien. The Buckeyes led 73-64 on Singleton’s bucket with%^$2:47 left, but turned it over on three straight possessions and missed the%^$front of two one-and-ones as the Johnnies crept closer.%^$
St. John’s trailed 76-74 and had the ball when point guard Erick Barkley%^$committed his only turnover of the game, dribbling the ball off his leg into%^$Redd’s waiting hands with six or seven seconds left.%^$
Redd ended it with a free throw. The Buckeyes go to St. Petersburg at%^$27-8.%^$That’s 19 games better than they were a year ago. They took out the No. 1 seed%^$and the No. 3 seed in the regional. Their backcourt is about as good as you’ll%^$see.%^$
The Buckeyes are in the Final Four.%^$
What do you say now?%^$
%^$
%^$Buckeyes basketball: A state of wonder
%^$By RUSTY MILLER
%^$AP Sports Writer%^$
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Before the season, Jim O’Brien’s goal wasn’t to get%^$Ohio State to the Final Four. A practical man, he was just hoping to get above%^$.500 following his worst season as a coach.%^$
Now, with the Buckeyes headed to the NCAA semifinals in St. Petersburg,%^$Fla., O’Brien is a mystified as anyone.%^$
“I personally just wanted to win more than we lost. I know it sounds a%^$little ridiculous right now but I thought that was real,” he said. “I just%^$thought that after five straight losing seasons that a winning record would%^$have been nice.”%^$
In O’Brien’s first season at Ohio State, the Buckeyes went 8-22,%^$losing 17%^$straight games and tying the school record for losses.%^$
Even the most ardent fan would have felt foolish to ask for a winning%^$season%^$this year.%^$
“I thought that would have gotten us to the NIT and would have shown some%^$pretty good progress,” O’Brien said. “Obviously, we have far exceeded that.”%^$
Yes, they have. The record is downright startling: 27-8, with Connecticut%^$(32-2) up next on Saturday night.%^$
The latest victory came in the South Regional title game, a 77-74 win%^$over%^$St. John’s 77-74.%^$
This is the Buckeyes’ first trip to the Final Four in 31 years. The last%^$time they went, O’Brien was a scrawny freshman point guard at Boston College.%^$
The captain of the last Ohio State team to make it to the Final Four%^$gives a%^$lot of the credit to O’Brien for the remarkable turnaround.%^$
“He’s the catalyst,” said Bill Hosket, a Columbus businessman and Big Ten%^$basketball commentator. “He’s getting the most out of the kids, but more than%^$that he’s doing a terrific job of hiding their weaknesses. That’s something%^$he’s done well for two years.%^$
“There’s no question of which team had the best coaching in the last 80%^$minutes of basketball I saw in Knoxville. It’s phenomenal what the guy has%^$done.”%^$
Ohio State’s leading scorer, Michael Redd, said there are several reasons%^$why the Buckeyes have survived this long – and all are attributes nurtured by%^$O’Brien.%^$
“Teamwork. Playing hard. Every possession we played with a lot heart,” he%^$said. “That was the key for us. It really was.”%^$
Before the season, point guard Scoonie Penn brashly predicted the%^$Buckeyes%^$would make it to the NCAA tournament.%^$
“I’m looking at him like, you know, he’s nuts,” O’Brien said.%^$
Penn insists the Buckeyes are deserving of the trip to St. Petersburg.%^$
“It’s something we work real hard for,” he said. “I don’t think anyone%^$thought we could do it, but here we are.”%^$
When he took over the Buckeyes two years ago, O’Brien inherited several%^$malcontents and borderline players. All but two transferred or quit: seniors%^$Neshaun Coleman and Jason Singleton.%^$
This season, O’Brien points to the character of his players and the%^$contributions from the entire roster.%^$
“Just when you don’t know if they can keep giving there’s always%^$more,” he%^$said. “They always come back.”%^$
O’Brien has been a head coach for 17 years at Ohio State, Boston%^$College and%^$St. Bonaventure. He was an assistant for five years before that at, of all%^$places, UConn.%^$
The moment is not lost on him. He hugged his daughters and then danced%^$with%^$his players after the victory over St. John’s.%^$
“Guys coach forever and ever and never get a chance to get to the Final%^$Four,” he said. “People go through their careers, players play three or four%^$years, and never get this opportunity.%^$
“We just have to be thankful that we get this opportunity. It’s special.”
