What if that one thing happened differently for the Buckeyes?
Ohio State lost five games last season by three points or fewer. If any of those five had flipped the other way, the Buckeyes probably would’ve heard their names called on Selection Sunday. They didn’t, however, and they weren’t included in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they were one of the first four teams left on the outside looking in.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which former Buckeyes absolutely should’ve been drafted higher in the NBA Draft. Connor went with Buckeyes and Bucks legend Michael Redd (43rd pick), while Justin picked William Buford, one of the best basketball players to ever come out of Toledo and was undrafted in 2012.
68% of the readers sided with Connor/Redd, while 22% agreed with Justin that Buford was the biggest draft snub out of all former Buckeyes. The remaining 10% felt it was a different player than either of those two options.
After 202 weeks:
Connor- 90
Justin- 86
Other- 20
(There have been six ties)
This week, we’re both being Captain Hindsight and picking one moment that could’ve had huge ramifications if things had gone differently. It can be a shot that was missed, a player that missed a game, or even a fan touching a ball in play.
Each of our writers is picking one moment that could’ve changed the course of Ohio State’s season if it had gone a little bit differently:
Connor: What if Bruce Thornton didn’t airball that shot against Michigan?
Bruce Thornton put Danny Wolf on skates but airballs the look
Michigan SURVIVES in Columbus pic.twitter.com/dPGFaZiBPT
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 16, 2025
Ohio State got steamrolled by Northwestern at home, were silenced on the road at Assembly Hall against Indiana, and shrunk in the moment against Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament. But for how poorly the Buckeyes played over the final 10 or so games of the season, their home game against Michigan was one of the most entertaining, high-level games of the entire college basketball season.
Neither team led by more than seven at any point in the game. The Wolverines led by four points with under one minute to go, but Ohio State had a prime opportunity to send the game to overtime in the final moment. Alas, after shaking Danny Wolf and sending him to the ground, Bruce Thornton short-armed a five-foot floater so badly that it missed the rim, net, and everything else. Ruben Jones caught the shot that could’ve been called a passing turnover as much as a missed shot, and the game was over.
Michigan improved to 12-2 in the Big Ten with the win, and Ohio State fell to 7-8. The Buckeyes were, at the time, still right in range to make the NCAA Tournament but clearly weren’t going to win the conference. Michigan, on the other hand, was the favorite to win the Big Ten at the time.
But what if that shot had fallen? After the game, Thornton said he takes that same shot in practice over and over, every day. And for the rest of the season, Thornton was cash money on nearly every close floater that he took.
If Thornton had knocked down the shot to send the game to overtime, Ohio State would’ve had the upper hand. The crowd was getting into it, two Michigan starters had four fouls, and Devin Royal was playing the most impressive game of his college career to that point.
If the game had gone to overtime, Ohio State likely would’ve beaten the No. 20 team in the country. So many different things would’ve happened if Thornton wouldn’t have alligator-armed that shot.
The Buckeyes probably would’ve made the NCAA Tournament — what happens then? How would the narrative around the program and Diebler change if they had even made the NCAA Tournament?
Jake Diebler would’ve won the only matchup of the year between him and Dusty May — would the narrative around the current Ohio State coach and the guy who was in the running to be the Ohio State coach change?
Maybe Michigan doesn’t get a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe they slip to a 6-instead, and would face an 11-seed instead of a 12. Would they still make the Sweet Sixteen?
Does Ohio State come out more focused in the next game against Northwestern, and with more confidence after beating a top-20 Michigan team?
Justin: The Black Friday Pittsburgh loss
For most of the Ohio State men’s basketball season, it was pretty apparent that the Buckeyes would either barely make or barely miss the NCAA Tournament.
There are many possible options, and a huge game early in the season that felt like it could come back to haunt them was the Black Friday loss to Pittsburgh at home. This was early in the year, and it should have been easy to forget about and move on, but it was hard to let go after the Buckeyes held the lead for the majority of the game, only to lose it — also bringing golfers.
The Michigan moment would have been awesome for Thornton as the three-year starter, but this win could have helped propel them through the season, helping them get someone.