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Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State basketball marches on after another NCAA Tournament win

by: borrismart03/23/19

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise! Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more.

Ohio State upsets Iowa State

An Ohio State team that has been frequently frustrating is somehow on its way to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes managed to take down No. 6 seed Iowa State, which had just won the Big 12 tournament, and will advance to face No. 3 seed Houston.

There’s much more coverage to come from Lettermen Row on the ground in Tulsa. But it all starts right here with senior writer Austin Ward’s Three Points on the enormous victory for the Buckeyes over the Cyclones.

Chris Holtmann is a magician

This will almost certainly be Chris Holtmann’s worst roster at Ohio State. The 2018-19 Buckeyes are plagued by the shortcomings of the end of the Thad Matta era. The five signees from the highly rated Class of 2015 would be seniors on this year’s squad, but four of them transferred after one season and the fifth got kicked off the team before the end of his second season.

This lineup is essentially held together with paper clips and chewing gum and yet still found a way not only to make the tournament but also beat a team that won its conference tournament. That’s a credit to those players, of course, but also to Holtmann, who is part of an elite group that has won a game in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments.

Ohio State-Houston game time announced

The Buckeyes move on to face No. 3 seed Houston, which blitzed its way through its first-round contest. Here’s how to watch it. Ohio State will be playing for its first trip to the Sweet 16 since the 2012-13 season.

No. 11 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Houston

Date: Sunday, March 24

Location: Tulsa, Okla.

Time: 8:40 p.m. ET

Channel: TNT

Potential next opponent: No. 2 Kentucky/No. 7 Wofford

Blue Smith leaving Buckeyes

Sources confirmed to Lettermen Row on Friday that wide receiver L’Christian “Blue” Smith has elected to leave the Buckeyes and pursue a transfer elsewhere, bringing an early end to a career with the program that at one point looked promising. The lanky, 6-foot-4, 220-pound target went through some rough patches trying to get up to speed with Ohio State last season, but his physical tools still made him an intriguing project for the future.

Ohio State still has plenty of quality depth to drive the unit forward, starting with Austin Mack, K.J. Hill and Binjimen Victor as proven veterans capable of taking up that leadership mantle. The Buckeyes could also get C.J. Saunders an expanded role while also bringing along five-star early enrollee Garrett Wilson, who is making a splash already in spring camp and looks like a candidate for significant playing time right away with the program.

Meet our newest writer

Lettermen Row will soon have a new member of the team. Spencer Holbrook will join as a football and basketball writer after graduating from Ohio in May. Until then, he’ll be helping out occasionally — including for Saturday’s football practice while Austin Ward is in Tulsa covering the basketball Buckeyes. Be sure to check out Spencer’s first article explaining his path and why he’s excited to join us at Lettermen Row to cover the Buckeyes.

Counting down

  • Ohio State hoops vs. Houston: 1 day
  • Oho State spring game: 21 days

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