Buckeyes Headed Back To Elite Eight

LaQuinton Ross hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play, and Ohio State advanced to the brink of its second straight Final Four appearance with a 73-70 victory over Arizona on Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals. Ross, the Buckeyes' remarkable reserve, scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half for the second-seeded Buckeyes (29-7), who rallied from an early 11-point deficit and weathered the sixth-seeded Wildcats' late charge for their 11th consecutive victory since mid-February. Deshaun Thomas scored 20 points for Ohio State, and Aaron Craft added 13 before ceding the Buckeyes' final shot to Ross. Craft hit an awfully similar 3-pointer against Iowa State last Sunday to send the Buckeyes forward. Mark Lyons' acrobatic three-point play for the Wildcats (27-8) had tied it with 21.8 seconds left. On Saturday, Ohio State will face ninth-seeded Wichita State, a 72-58 winner over No. 13 seed La Salle. As the only top-eight seed left in the West, the Buckeyes will be Atlanta-bound with one more win.