#2 seed Ohio State and #4 seed Indiana were part of the evening contingency of teams taking the floor to finish the first full night of NCAA Tournament action on Thursday, with both teams advancing to the third round of play on Saturday. Here are some thoughts from the pair of victories:
Jordan Hulls and the Hoosiers are back in the Big Dance, and took down New Mexico State on Thursday (Getty Images)
- Ohio State is back on track — The mark of a great team can be found in how it recovers from adversity, and the Buckeyes have never had any trouble bouncing back from a tough loss. After falling to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament championship game on Sunday, the Buckeyes rebounded to handle Loyola on Thursday night. Ohio State may have fallen in Indianapolis this past weekend, but they’re playing tough, focused basketball.
- Indiana is also back on track, but after a longer hiatus — It’s been a long time coming — four years, to be exact, though it probably feels like more for Indiana fans — since the Hoosiers were dancing, but they’re back and they are doing damage. It took no time at all for Tom Crean‘s group to kick the dust off and take care of business, controlling the entire 40 minutes against New Mexico State. Cody Zeller didn’t show any nerves under the bright lights — though foul trouble can still be an issue for him — and if this team can continue to excel on both ends of the floor, we could be in for an intriguing rematch against Kentucky.
- Deshaun Thomas is the straw that stirs the drink — We all know what you’re going to get out of All-American Jared Sullinger on any given night, but the X-factor presence that Thomas brings to the table is Ohio State’s difference maker. When the Buckeyes have two guys of that size and skill performing at such a high level, there may be no one in the country who can stop them. Thomas had a game-high 31 points against Loyola on Thursday, and now has put up double digits in 10 straight games. Some of his worst games this year (five points at Indiana, a combined 19 in the two losses to Michigan State) have come in defeat, emphasizing his importance.
- The Big Ten is perfect so far — Each of the three Big Ten teams in action on Thursday won, and they won big. The best conference in the country flexed its muscles with Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio State winning their respective games by an average margin of 19 points per game. No other conference had as many teams in action and also went undefeated on the day.