The dream of a national championship went down the drain for Jared Sullinger and the Ohio St. Buckeyes on Saturday night, as the Kansas Jayhawks hung on to advance to Monday's finale against Kentucky.
Sullinger, who shot a frustrating 5-for-19 in the loss, was stifled by Kansas center Jeff Withey's length on the inside, and was unable to get his offense going in the second half. Freshman teammate Deshaun Thomas was hardly any better for head coach Thad Matta, as he finished just 3-for-14 from the field and 1-for-8 from behind the arc.
Kansas, who trailed by nine at half, took its biggest lead of the game (three points) with just 1:04 on the clock. The Jayhawks' win represented the largest first half deficit to come back and win from in a Final Four game since Duke over Maryland in 2001.
The No. 2 seeded Jayhawks will take on Kentucky in Monday's NCAA championship game, while the Buckeyes are expected to suffer heavy attrition with a bevy of players headed to the NBA.
For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy, or follow SB Nation Cleveland's Ohio State StoryStream. For more on the Kansas Jayhawks check out Rock Chalk Talk, and for more on the NCAA Tournament you can head over to SB Nation's NCAA Tournament Hub.