Last weekend a record four teams from the state of Ohio reached the Sweet 16. But only three can make it to the Elite Eight.
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Despite being separated by barely 100 miles, Cincinnati and Ohio State will have only met nine times before they face one another in the East Region semifinals on Thursday at TD Garden in Boston. In fact, they’ve only played three times in the last 90 years.
The setting and outcome of the first two of those contests — the teams’ only previous meetings in the NCAA tournament — hold a unique place in the state’s collective college basketball memory. It’s easily overlooked thanks to the recent prominence of the Buckeyes both regionally and nationally.
In 1961 and 1962, the Bearcats defeated Ohio State, led by future Hall of Famers Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek, to win the NCAA championship, the first in a 70-65 overtime win in Kansas City, Mo., and the second the year following in Louisville, Ky., by a score of 71-59. Even though Ohio State won it all in 1960, the back-to-back titles solidified the unmatched dominance during that era by the Cincinnati program, which had advanced to the Final Four in 1959 and 1960 on the back of the legendary Oscar Robertson. The Bearcats even got to the final again in 1963, losing to Loyola (Ill.) in overtime 60-58.
The most recent contest between the Buckeyes and Bearcats, also played on a neutral court, came in 2006. In that game, prodigious freshman center Greg Oden, during what now are remembered as his best days, put on a show for his hometown fans in Indianapolis with 14 points and 11 rebounds in a lopsided 72-50 win for Ohio State. It was the first season for Bearcats coach Mick Cronin.
The Buckeyes, who later that season lost to North Carolina in the 2007 national final, are making their third straight appearance in the Sweet 16. But they still stand second to Cincinnati historically, even though the Bearcats haven’t been to a regional final since 1996.
Each team is desperate to show that it’s championship capable. Yancy Gates’ redemption from December’s brawl with Xavier, and Jared Sullinger’s determination turn a talented team on paper into a title winner are both engrossing. But the greater context for two should-be rivals make Thursday’s encounter fascinating for more than the current generation.
– Craig Stouffer
