What an amazing game.  Ohio State looks like they have the game well under control with a 12 point lead and 8 minutes left.  Then, Iowa State goes on a 13-0 run over the next 5 minutes to take the lead.  The teams start to battle back and forth until the stage was set.

The game is tied at 75 with 29 seconds.  Ohio State lobs the ball in to Aaron Craft.  Up to this point, Craft had an un-characteristic stretch.  Despite being almost an 80% FT shooter, the Ohio State guard had recently missed the first end of a 1-and-1 twice.  Then, after being fouled on a lay-up, he missed a third FT.  If anyone was going to be the goat for the 12 point lead slipping away, it would have been Craft.

And fate now has this young man sitting with the ball around half court – holding the ball for one last shot to win the game.  As he starts to get ready to drive, he waives a teammate away to create space.  He has already decided what he is going to do.  With 2 seconds left, he fakes a drive to cause the defender to back-pedal, and then, pulls up for a three-pointer.  There is a saying that as a shooter, you have to have a short-term memory – the only memory you have is of the next shot going in.  Aaron Craft’s memory was perfect as that three-pointer went in before the buzzer and led the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16.

Thanks to Craft’s three-point shot, the Buckeyes help avoid having this year’s West region be the first one in history that did not have any of the 4 protected seeds make the Sweet 16.  And about 45% of our pool (myself included) breathed a sigh of relief that their team is still alive.  Survive and advance!

Congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes!!!