There couldn't have been a more fitting ending for Aaron Craft, who was playing in his final collegiate home game. With less than 30 seconds left and his team up by just a point, Craft dove to the floor to secure a loose defensive rebound. It was one of those "hustle plays" that old people love to talk about, and it really did seem like he wanted it more than anybody else.Then, a few seconds later, he was at the line with a chance to put his team up by three. He clanked the first free thrown.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Craft's career in a nutshell. He made a tremendous play that helped win the game, and immediately followed it with a lackluster performance on the offensive end.
Still, I think I'd take Craft over just about every recent Buckeye, other than Jared Sullinger. Whatever Craft may lack on offense, he more than makes up for it on the other end, in my opinion.
For the Buckeyes, this was a really nice win to end the regular season. Rather than heading into the Big Ten Tournament with three straight losses, they get to head into it with a bit of momentum. They won't have a first round bye, but the matchups seem to set up nicely. They'll play Purdue on Thursday afternoon, and if they advance, they'll get Nebraska on Friday. The Buckeyes owe the Cornhuskers a bit of payback after losing to them in Lincoln in January.
As for the tournament that will start the following week, I have to admit that I feel decent about this team's chances to make a run to at least the Sweet 16. They play stellar defense, and they have veterans who have won plenty of tournament games over the last few years. Obviously they don't score points easily, so some shooters will have to get hot. And they'll need to make free throws (they were 19-31 from the line yesterday, and 2-6 in the final minute).
Last week, ESPN's Joe Lunardi had them projected as a six seed, which I think would be fine. As always, it will depend less on their seed, and more on how they matchup with their opponents.
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