CHICAGO — DeShaun Thomas was Ohio State’s indispensable man Saturday. The Buckeyes might not be bound for the Big Ten championship game without his late heroics in a 61-58 semifinal victory over Michigan State at the United Center. The Ohio State forward collected a key offensive rebound with 55 seconds to play, scored on jumper 33 seconds later and added a free throw with eight seconds left as the Buckeyes stymied a late Spartans comeback. Thomas scored 16 points and teammate Aaron Craft had 20 and nine assists as the No. 2 seed Buckeyes (25-7) landed a spot against Wisconsin in Sunday’s tournament title game. “The shot I hit, that was a great play (call) by coach and great screen by Evan Ravenel,” Thomas said. “He said, ‘You’re going to knock one down, just be patient.’ Finally I did, and it went in.” While Thomas had the…
Continue Reading: Thomas, Craft carry Buckeyes past Spartans, into Big Ten tournament final (The SportsXchange)
