COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — It’s hard to even recall how bleak things were at Ohio State seven years ago when Thad Matta took over as head basketball coach.
Jim O’Brien had been summarily dismissed for giving a recruit money, NCAA investigators were sniffing around campus and ready to drop the hammer on the Buckeyes, and on top of everything else, there wasn’t all-world talent in the pipeline.
Now the top-ranked Buckeyes (34-2) are the No. 1 overall seed and on a roll coming off second- and third-round wins by a combined 61 points heading into Friday night’s regional semifinal showdown with Kentucky in Newark, N.J.
How fitting that when he first arrived at Ohio State, Matta used Kentucky (27-8) as one of the templates for what he wanted to construct.
So far, he’s built a strong foundation.
