The Ohio State basketball seniors probably wanted to end their career playing in the NCAA tournament, but they still went out with a bang beating UMASS 92-85 to win the NIT tournament. Most Buckeye fans were disappointed with the fact that the Buckeyes didn’t make the tournament despite getting to the championship game last year, but hey, a tournament championship is still better than getting bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

            The Buckeyes were led by Kosta Koufus who scored 23 points and Evan Turner who stepped up with 20 points of his own while going 3-3 from the land of plenty. Othello Hunter offered 17 points and nine rebounds while Jamar Butler added 19 points while dishing out eight assists, thus ending his career victoriously at Ohio State.  The beginning of the game was a close match, with the Buckeyes trading points with UMASS, ending in a 41-36 lead at halftime. Though the score was fairly close throughout, it was apparent that if the Buckeyes could stop turning the ball over, they would win the contest.

            There were more whistles blown by the refs in this game than by one of the New York City traffic cops outside of the Garden. Despite the sometimes sloppy play, the Buckeyes came out in the second half firing. It was apparent that they were not going to lose the game. The Buckeyes demeanor on the court was all business, especially with seniors Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter and Matt Terwilliger playing their final game in an Ohio State uniform. And let’s make this clear now, Kosta Koufos isn’t going anywhere. Ohio State didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament and he hardly has a resume that would impress pro scouts. However, Koufos made some real improvement in this tournament. It seems that he finally came to the realization that he is seven feet tall, and with a little muscle, can dominate the inside. Next year, Koufos is going to be a monster in the paint. With more emphasis on footwork and muscle this off-season, he is going to be a dominant force in the Big Ten for the 2008-2009 season.

            Even Dallas Lauderdale saw minutes in this game, coming up with a couple of big blocks that led to fast break points. P.J. Hill also saw more minutes, but produced little. I believe that Thad Matta was doing some training with P.J. Hill, putting him in some big game situations to see how he was able to handle it. Hill took the point, the place where Jamar Butler would usually orchestrate the action. It has been said this year, that if Jamar Butler can be stopped, than Ohio State can be stopped. For the most part, that statement has been true, so if Matta is looking to P.J. Hill to fill the void, Hill is going to need to work hard in the off-season or one of the incoming freshmen is going to have to step up and fill the shoes.

            Jon Diebler also played 14 minutes, but was unable to get any open shots. Next year, these role players are going to have to step up and lead the next recruiting class. We have heard all season and every game about Diebler, who has made the most points ever in Ohio basketball history or whatever, but he hasn’t done anything while at Ohio State. We thought maybe he needs to find his stroke at the college level, but he never did. He has definitely been the biggest disappointment of this class. Let’s hope it’s the first year jitters and leave at that. Hey, there’s always next year right?