By: Jeff Goodman via CBSSports.com --   The instant Jared Sullinger opted to spurn the NBA, Ohio State became a Final Four contender. The Buckeyes big man could have been a high lottery pick a year ago, but he decided to come back to school -- and while he hasn't had the season that many anticipated, he's gotten Ohio State to the Final Four. There was the back injury that slowed him down early in the season and forced him to miss two games ... Read More

By: AP via newser.com --  Ohio State coach Thad Matta has already cashed in on the Buckeyes' trip to the Final Four. So have the rest of the coaches whose teams are headed to New Orleans. Matta has racked up $100,000 in incentives tied to his team's performance in the Big Ten and NCAA tournament this season. And that doesn't include the one-year extension that was triggered when the Buckeyes beat Michigan State for a share of the conference regular-season title. Kansas coach Bill Self, ... Read More

By Bob Wolfley via Journal Sentinel -- One of the Final Four college basketball guesses fans may like to make, after those teams have been determined, is to pick which game CBS-TV decides to make the first one and which it decides to put in the second slot. The second game on that Saturday night is the one the network thinks has a wider appeal among television viewers in the country. This year, Kentucky vs. Louisville will tip off at 5:09 p.m. Saturday, followed ... Read More

By: Tommy King vis sbnation.com --  Ever since the Ohio State Buckeyes lost to Kentucky last season in the Sweet 16 and Jared Sullinger decided to return for his sophomore season, Thad Matta's squad has eyed a Final Four. After upsetting Syracuse on Saturday, Ohio State has earned the right to play Kansas for a berth in the national championship game. In the Elite 8 upset over Syracuse, Jared Sullinger produced 19 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. was ... Read More

By JIMMY GOLEN (HuffingtonPost.com) -- BOSTON — Ohio State coach Thad Matta sized up his team in the middle of the season and had it figured for an early loss when the NCAA tournament came around. The final weekend of March Madness is next, and the Buckeyes will be there. Jared Sullinger recovered from first-half foul trouble to score 19 points and grab seven rebounds, helping Ohio State beat top-seeded Syracuse 77-70 on Saturday to advance to the Final Four in New Orleans. The ... Read More

From: Ap via  wgrz.com -- BOSTON  - Aaron Craft doesn't get as much publicity as some of his Ohio State teammates. Jared Sullinger is the star. Deshaun Thomas is the shooter. But Craft is the stopper, the pesky defender who irritates dribblers and takes the ball away. "He takes great pride in what he's doing every single possession," Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said Friday. "That's why I've said it all year. He's the best defender in college basketball." On Saturday night, Craft will be pestering Syracuse guards ... Read More

From: sbnation.com --   Jim Boeheim leads his No. 1 seeded Syracuse Orange into uncharted waters (at least, uncharted in nearly a decade) as they face the No. 2 seeded Ohio St. Buckeyes in the Elite Eight round in the East Region of the 2012 NCAA Tournament at 7:05 p.m. EDT on Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston, MA (TV: CBS). Syracuse last played in the Elite Eight in 2003. The end result? A national championship under the guidance of Boeheim and star ... Read More

From: FoxSportsOhio.com -- Ohio State's matchup with Cincinnati in the East Regional semifinals Thursday night represents not only a chance for the Buckeyes to advance to the Elite Eight but also to extract revenge some five decades in the making. The Bearcats, the No. 6 seed, own a 2-0 all-time record against the No. 2-seeded Buckeyes in NCAA tournament play, but the state of Ohio's two major conference teams have not played in such a setting since ... Read More

By: AP via pasadenastarnews.com -- Welcome to a special academic-themed edition of BracketRacket, your one-stop shopping for all things NCAA on tournament game days. Ohio State fans may want to go directly to item No. 2. Everyone else begin here: March Madness isn't just about basketball. It's not the only championship this month. It's not even the only one that makes heavy use of a pool. In case you missed it, Ohio State, with a basketball team plenty good enough to cut down the nets in New Orleans, just won the ... Read More

From: cbslocal.com -- BALTIMORE (WJZ)—The men’s basketball team from Loyola University Maryland steps onto the national stage Thursday night. Sports director Mark Viviano joins us with a look at the under-dog greyhounds and their upset hopes against Ohio State. It’s a rare opportunity for Loyola:  They play in Pittsburgh Thursday night. It’s the first NCAA tourney for the hounds in nearly two decades, and they want to make it last beyond Thursday night. That’s easier said than done for little Loyola when they face powerhouse Ohio ... Read More