Despondency

    A state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage. Thank you for the assist, Google. Something my favorite team in college basketball will not have anymore this season—assists. It has been confirmed that Ohio State has declined its postseason invitation after missing the NCAA tournament. Sixty-eight teams out of 364 make it. If you were wondering, that is 18.6% of teams in NCAA Division 1. The Buckeyes struggled at times this year, and when it mattered most, they could not win the games they needed. It has been four years since we last saw the Buckeyes in the tournament.

The last time we saw them in March Madness, they were a 7-seed and defeated Loyola Chicago in the first round. Being a cradle Catholic, that win hurt me a little. But the Buckeyes fell in the second round that year to Villanova, 71-61. That feels like ages ago—Meechie Johnson’s first tournament as a Buckeye, NBA players Malaki Branham and EJ Liddell on the roster. Kyle Young and Zed Key brought tremendous energy and toughness that frightened opponents. Sure, it was a second-round exit, but they were dancing. Unfortunately, I’m dancing on my own—I think that’s by Ed Sheeran, don’t quote me.

For the last month or so, I have been tuning into every game—watching, yelling, and enjoying the team fight to dance. They came up just short, being one of the first four teams out of the tournament. Interestingly enough, UNC made it in with a 1-9 record in Quad 1 games. That’s almost unimaginable. Has the NCAA tournament bubble turned into college football? Should the Buckeyes just schedule Quad 3 and 4 teams, play nobodies, and take the UNC approach? Well, of course not—folks in Ohio are built for the challenge. Ask anyone in college football—they know.

Now, despondency is defined as a state of low spirits caused by a loss of hope or courage. It doesn’t say defeat. This program has been here before and bounced back. It was a different time in college sports, but Ohio State has weathered the storm in all eras. It is a tough pill to swallow for now, but I haven’t given up on the program just yet.

    Here is a picture of me and my Grandpa at my first Ohio State basketball game. Im the little kid on the right if you couldn't tell who was who. Ironically enough, the buckeyes lost to Iowa, the same time who ended their Big Ten tournament run this year and ultimately their season