Written by David Regimbal

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George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga said it was going to be a challenge playing the number one overall seed in their home state, with a pro-Ohio State crowd cheering against them. The home crowd should have been the least of his worries as the Buckeyes completely blew George Mason off the court, hitting 16 3-pointers in a 98-66 victory.

David Lighty hit all seven of the 3-pointers he attempted while both William Buford and Jon Diebler connected on four. Deshaun Thomas added one off the bench for a total of 16, one for each of the teams still alive and fighting for a National Championship.

The Buckeyes hit nine of those three’s on an incredible stretch in the first half where it seemed like the team could do no wrong. David Lighty talked about it after the game, “I’ve seen a lot of [explosive stretches], especially last year. We have 22 point runs, 24 points runs. But I mean, every time I looked up, someone was hitting a jumper or a three or something.”

Ohio State came out sluggishly as they had against UTSA, allowing George Mason to outscore them 11-2 through three and a half minutes. The Buckeyes missed three of their first four shots while committing four turnovers, and Ohio State players after the game said a few of the George Mason players were “talking trash” on the court.

Apparently it’s a bad idea to talk trash against this team. The Buckeyes responded by outscoring the Patriots 50-15 through the final 17 minutes of the first half. Lighty hit six of his seven 3-pointers during that stretch as the Buckeyes connected on nine of twelve behind the arch through 20 minutes.

Lighty’s 7-7 shooting performance behind the three point line set an NCAA Tournament record for 3-point shooting percentage. As a guy who isn’t known for his 3-point shooting, he sure played the part in Ohio State's dominant victory. Coach Thad Matta talked about how far Lighty has come over the years, “You go back to his freshman year, I remember he made a three at North Carolina, then he went like three months without making one.” He later added, “I’m just excited to see him play.”

The 3-point shooting wasn’t the only thing going well for Ohio State. Freshman point guard Aaron Craft had a fantastic day, racking up an Ohio State record 15 assists in 34 minutes of play. The previous record, which was set by Curtis Wilson when he dished out 14 assists in 1988, was bested by Craft with over five minutes remaining in the game. His 15 assists also put him in the NCAA Tournament record book, tying the third most assists-total in a tournament game.

“Aaron [Craft] is a guy who knows his role, and he does a great job of finding the shooters in the right spot,” Diebler said. “He’s one of the best point guards I have ever played with.”

Craft hogged the highlight reel, but his prettiest pass came with just under eight and a half minutes to play in the first. Craft brought the ball up the court and was double teamed by two George Mason defenders at half court. With the smallest of windows to see through, Craft zipped a 40-foot pass through multiple defenders to Jared Sullinger, who was also covered from behind by a Patriots defender. Craft put the ball in a position where only Sullinger could catch it and the freshman big-man laid it in, giving Ohio State a 29-22 lead.

Craft talked about that incredible play after the game, “[Sullinger] can catch the ball, so I just put it in an area where he could grab it.” He later added, “I took a chance and threw it to Sully and he was able to catch it and finish it for me.”

In a season filled with incredible overall performances from Ohio State, this one may have topped them all. The Buckeyes shot a blistering 61% from the field and an even more impressive, albeit equally efficient 61% from the 3-point line. On defense, the Buckeyes held George Mason to 43% shooting from the field while forcing 17 turnovers.

Jared Sullinger finished the game with (a quiet) 18 points and 8 rebounds. William Buford added 18, Diebler had 13, Thomas had seven off the bench and Dallas Lauderdale even chipped in six points. But the unquestioned star of the game was David Lighty, a Cleveland-native who was playing in front of his friends and family. The fifth-year senior scored a game high 25 points while snatching four rebounds and dishing out three assists. Lighty only missed one shot, going 9-10 from the field and received a standing ovation when he left the court.

The emotions were even higher for Lighty as he had received his college diploma just hours before tip-off. Combine that with the opportunity to play in front of his family -- it was a special day for the senior, “I mean, being here in Cleveland, playing in front of [my family], it being graduation day... So just for them to experience this moment with me is always going to be something that’s close to my heart.”

The Buckeyes are happy with their performance, but clearly not satisfied with making it to the sweet 16. The team has much loftier goals as Jared Sullinger summed it up in the post game press conference, “We can play better. We got another game on Friday with Kentucky, so we’re focused on that. We’re trying to take the momentum from this game and carry it on to the next.”