The Ohio State Buckeyes are headed to the NCAA’s Final Four. They knocked number one seed Syracuse out with a 77-70 victory. The Buckeyes were led by Jared Sullinger who scored a game high 19. Ohio State played most of the first half of the game without Sullinger who got into early foul trouble.
The Buckeyes kept the game close nonetheless, and were able to take the lead and hold it in the game’s final minutes. The Buckeyes also relied on some free throws down the stretch to secure the win. They made 13 of 14 from the foul line in the last one minute of the game. They will face the winner of the Kansas-North Carolina game next weekend at the Final Four in New Orleans.
Syracuse played without sophomore center Fab Melo and his absence was more noticeable in this game than in the previous three they had played without him. Ohio State was the first team to open a lead in the second half. They went on a 12-3 run that gave them a 45-36 lead with just 14 minutes to play.
However, Syracuse made their own run and with seven minutes remaining was only down by one point. The Buckeyes would not allow Syracuse to tie or take the lead and their great free throw shooting down the stretch iced the game.
