Ohio State lives up to top billing in home state

[March 19, 2011]  CLEVELAND (AP) -- Ohio State's David Lighty wanted to keep the cap and gown in storage.

His graduation ceremony can wait.

Lighty is more interested in placing at the top of a different kind of class -- such as helping the Buckeyes win a national championship.

"First of all, I'd like to say thank you to Ohio State University. I just graduated," he yelled in the locker room. "Now, boom, let's make a tourney run."

Before the game, Lighty learned he had passed his last final at Ohio State, his last hurdle to a degree in consumer affairs.

He helped the top-seeded Buckeyes ace their first tournament test, a 75-46 win over Texas-San Antonio in the second round Friday. This day was more about "Romp and Circumstance" for the Buckeyes in front of their home-state crowd.

The Buckeyes (33-2) move on to play eighth-seeded George Mason (27-6).

The Patriots won a tournament game for the first time since they made a name for the program as the bracket-busting darlings in a stunning Final Four run in 2006. Their 61-57 win over Villanova (21-12) wasn't a total shocker -- the Wildcats' season-ending collapse was completed with a sixth straight defeat.

With a record 11 teams in the field, some of the Big East's best were bound to head home early.

But Syracuse (27-7) and Marquette (21-14) made the bloated conference 2-1 in Cleveland on Friday. The 11th-seeded Golden Eagles topped Xavier 66-55, and the third-seeded Orange enjoyed a 77-60 win over Indiana State in second-round games.

The wins set up a Big East rematch between Syracuse and Marquette on Sunday in the East region. The Golden Eagles won the first one, 76-70 on Jan. 29.

"We do want revenge on them," Orange defensive stopper Rick Jackson said.

Marquette never trailed in that game and led by as many as 11 points. Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom each hit 3-pointers late in the game with the shot clock a tick away from expiration.

Butler scored 19 and Johnson-Odom 17 vs. the Orange.

"A lot of people would say it was a fluke. We're not supposed to win that game," Johnson-Odom said. "But Syracuse is a great team. They have great guards. Great bigs, and they find ways to win."

George Mason found another way to knock off a name team from an elite conference. It seemed as if it was 2006 all over again when the Patriots rallied from a 10-point hole to send the staggering Wildcats back home.

The tournament star this year was Luke Hancock, who hit a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left.

Hancock, his left shoulder taped and bandaged, took a couple hard dribbles to his right, as if he was going to drive the lane for the go-ahead basket, then stopped right in his tracks. He crossed over and stepped back, then calmly knocked down the 3-pointer from a foot beyond the arc on the right wing.

"I was kind of hoping and praying," Hancock said.

His wishes were granted.

George Mason's Mike Morrison held his favorite T-shirt with a you-gotta-believe slogan that his team might have another remarkable run in them to match 2006.

"We ARE this year's George Mason."

Coach Jim Larranaga said this year's team refuses to listen to the doubters, just like the one in 2006.

"People remember '06 the best, and that's fine with us, because it causes great memories when you do something that people think is extraordinary, that the experts say it couldn't be done," he said. "And yet that team, in '06, quite frankly, didn't believe in the experts, they believed in themselves."

The Wildcats seemed to lose that belief as they were hit with loss after crushing loss in the final month.

"When people question whether we should have been better, I can't argue that," coach Jay Wright said. "I really can't."

The Wildcats were long gone -- and quickly back to posting on Twitter after Wright's season-long ban was lifted -- by the time Syracuse got done with Indiana State (20-14). The final horn sounded at 12:41 a.m. and the public address announcer wished what was left of the crowd of more than 20,000 a good morning.

The Orange are holding their breath to make sure guard Scoop Jardine will be good to go Sunday. With three minutes left, Jardine injured his left wrist in a hard fall. Jardine briefly remained in the game, but when he came back to the bench, the junior grimaced in pain when a trainer checked on him. Jardine walked to the postgame interview with his wrist wrapped in ice.

"It kind of went numb on me," Jardine said. "I should be OK."

The Golden Eagles are feeling good after shutting down Xavier's Tu Holloway. Holloway, the Atlantic 10 player of the year, missed his first seven shots and scored only five points. Only twice this season did he score fewer than 10 points in a game.

"I really can't figure it out," he said, sniffling. "I guess I was just missing shots today."

The game ended with "We Are (clap, clap) Marquette!" booming through the arena.

Coach Buzz Williams walked across the court for a wave to the fans yelling, "Go, Buzz!"

He stopped in front of the band, gave a satisfied nod as he looked into the stands and soaked in the moment.

"It was a deep, relaxing exhale to be able to go, thanks for coming," said Williams, his voice hoarse.

He had only a few sections of fans to worry about thanking.

The Buckeyes had the whole state in their corner, playing a two-hour drive from their Columbus campus. The Buckeyes were efficient on offense, getting an NCAA tournament-record 26 assists on 29 field goals

"Lot of scarlet and gray out there, lots of support," Ohio State center Jared Sullinger. "We love our Buckeyes fans."

They'll be back in full force Sunday -- and so, too, should the Buckeyes.

[Associated Press; By DAN GELSTON]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.