Buckeyes Cleanup Iona Meltdown
Was this David vs. Goliath, Jack vs. Giant, or just a No.2 against an up and coming team? Nobody can deny that the Ohio State Buckeyes earned their victory and are a team to be reckoned with in the NCAA. The Iona Gaels are showing that they are not to be taken for granted as an opponent and it is only a matter of time before victory will come their way.
The Buckeyes have strong players in Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft. Iona has Lamont "MoMo" Jones, points leader in the MAAC and 3rd in nation, was held to only 11 points in this game. The team needs to build a core unit of stronger players to move up in the ranks.
Iona took the early lead but could not overcome the Buckeye's defense. Their shots were batted away and the offense was paralyzed. Being second in the nation in points per game (80.7), this came as a shock to Iona.
Bouncing back with their fast-break offense, the Gaels took care of most of the Buckeye's 18 point lead. It made you wonder if they could keep this momentum against such a strong team. Iona's Sean Armand set a school record for three pointers for the season. It was close with the score at 37-33 in favor of the Buckeyes.
The game changing play came when Sam Thompson made a one arm grab of Scott's pass for an amazing dunk. This fueled Ohio State and deflated Iona at the same time. Although the Gaels never gave up, they could not recover the momentum against the Buckeyes.
Having made nine appearances in the NCAA Tournament, Iona is a team with a future. The Gaels boast 20 or more wins in four consecutive seasons. They have the rankings to prove the NCAA should keep them in mind for next season.