Sam Thompson had career highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds on Friday night, part of a dominating performance by Ohio State’s front line, and the Buckeyes ran away to a 95-70 victory over Iona in the second round of the West Regional.
The second-seeded Buckeyes (27-7) are in prime March form with nine straight wins, including their last five games of the regular season and a run to the Big Ten tournament title.
Forward Deshaun Thomas has led them in scoring during the streak, averaging 17.6 points per game. He had 24 points as the Buckeyes’ fast breaks led to dunks and a season high in points, thrilling the large Ohio State contingent.
Aaron Craft had a season-high six steals and seven assists for the Buckeyes. Shannon Scott tied his career high with 10 assists.
Ohio State plays either Notre Dame or Iowa State on Sunday, one win away from a fourth straight trip to the round of 16.
“We have a lot of confidence,” Thompson said. “We know that if we come out and do the things we’re supposed to do on both sides of the ball, we could beat any team in the country.”
Iona (20-14) returned to the court where it suffered the biggest meltdown in NCAA tournament history last year, blowing a 25-point lead. The Gaels are 1-9 all-time in the tournament with their only win – over Holy Cross in 1980 – later vacated because of NCAA violations.
Tavon Sledge scored 20 points for Iona, which had 19 turnovers that led to 29 of the Buckeyes’ points.
Buckeyes coach Thad Matta had his best moment – yes, singular – as a college player at University of Dayton Arena, hitting a game-winning shot for Butler. His visits as Ohio State’s coach haven’t been so pleasant. The Buckeyes failed to make it out of Dayton intact in their two previous NCAA appearances, going 1-2 overall.
No late drama in this one.
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