Written by David Regimbal

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With the Buckeyes down by three and 25 seconds on the clock, Ohio State’s Jon Diebler connected on a 3-pointer at the top of the key that tied the game at 60. The Buckeyes needed just one stop on defense to force overtime against the fourth seeded Kentucky Wildcats.

That defensive stop never came. That overtime period never came. Ohio State’s dream season ended when Kentucky’s Brandon Knight connected on a 15-foot jumper with five seconds left, giving the Wildcats a 62-60 victory.

The Buckeyes did have a chance at the end. Ohio State advanced the ball and got a last-second 3-point attempt from William Buford, but the shot clanged off the rim as Kentucky’s bench rushed the court in celebration.

“You know, it came down to a couple of plays,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. “Jon hit a huge shot. You know, they come down and hit a big shot. I thought [Buford] had a great look there at the end...”

But it didn’t go in. Hardly anything went in for Buford and the Buckeyes on Friday night. In what might be the worst game of his career, Buford shot just 2-16 from the field (13%) against the Wildcats. As a team, after coming into the game shooting over 55% from the field in their first two tournament victories, the Buckeyes made just 32% of their shots against Kentucky.

Jon Diebler  was sorting through his thoughts after the game, trying to decide whether it was bad shooting on Ohio State’s part or Kentucky’s length on defense that produced such a poor offensive outing.  “I think honestly, you know, some of the shots we missed are shots we have been making all year.” He later added, “But you have to give them credit on defense. They played hard and they just challenged shots. I mean, with their size and length, you know obviously we knew that  they were shot-blockers and they got some shots blocked.”

Kentucky’s length did seem to bother Ohio State, namely Buford. The Wildcats recorded an incredible 11 blocks against the Buckeyes. A big part of that came from Kentucky’s ability to guard Jared Sullinger one-on-one with Josh Harrellson, a 275 pound senior that could not be moved on the inside. Although Sullinger had a good game, scoring 21 points while grabbing 16 rebounds, Harrellson harassed Sullinger and made him work for everything he got.

Diebler finished the game with 16 points, connecting on four of his seven 3-pointers. Lighty added 12 points and four assists. Dalas Lauderdale played just the first five minutes of the game, collecting two rebounds but no shot attempts. It’s the last time those three seniors will be able to try and help Ohio State win.

The Buckeyes’ bench, which has been shallow all season, combined for two points on 0-6 shooting (two free-throws from Aaron Craft). Deshaun Thomas played just three minutes, even with Buford struggling, and had virtually no impact on the game.

The Buckeyes had been there before. Throughout the season, like in both games against Northwestern, the shots just weren’t falling. In both games against the Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State was able to make the winning plays on defense to secure a victory. Against these Wildcats, the Buckeyes couldn’t get over the hump. Brandon Knight played hero again for Kentucky, hitting his second game winning shot in three tournament games (the first coming against Princeton in the second round).

The ending left Ohio State speechless after the game, “It is hard, because as I said earlier, I never had a team like this that united and bonded, you know, just their togetherness,” Matta said. “ I have to be honest, as I told [the team], I don't know what to say after the game.”