Craft's wild finish a tournament classic as Ohio State survives

In a matter of minutes, Ohio State's Aaron Craft went from object of scorn to top of the world.

As the final 29 seconds ticked down with the score tied at 75, Craft held the Buckeyes' hopes in his hands. He waited, waved off Deshaun Thomas, then left with plenty of space from Iowa State defender Georges Niang, pulled up and calmly nailed the game-winning

three.

The end of Ohio State's 78-75 victory over Iowa State was all about the erratic yet enigmatic Craft. He first helped fuel Iowa State's comeback then catapulted his team to victory.

With just under six minutes remaining, another trip to the Sweet 16 seemed all but certain for the Buckeyes, in control with a double-digit lead.

Then Craft's game went awry. A turnover, missed layup and two consecutive missed front ends of one-and-ones at the free throw line all from Craft, and in a few blinks, Iowa State had tied the game at 69.

Seconds later, he atoned for himself, driving to the lane and drawing contact while making a layup to give the Buckeyes the lead.

But volatile only begins to describe Craft's role in Sunday's Round of 32 contest.

He became the centerpiece of controversy as he took position in the paint, his heel appearing to ever-tenuously hover over the restricted area as Melvin Ejim bowled over him.

Ejim was called for the offensive foul even though, according to the rule book, Craft's charge could have been argued a block.

Disputing calls is not worth the time though. Plenty were missed both ways throughout the course of the affair in Dayton.

What will ultimately be remembered is Craft's moxie. A possession after he missed a jumper just inside the three-point line, he keeps the ball in his hands and wins it.

Craft did a lot that could have sent Ohio State home but when push came to shove, he wouldn't let them. Despite his offensive shortcomings, his shot was undeniably pure in the biggest moment.

When One Shining Moment plays after a champion is crowned, we won't see Craft's late-game blunders. You can be sure that we will see his swagger-filled shot that stymied the Cyclones.

Who knows - thanks to Craft it may even be the Buckeyes who are celebrating that Monday night in Atlanta.

Witnessing the end

"Four minutes of hell," I tweet as I slump down in my seat in the Ohio section at The Q. 

Slowly and tediously the seconds tick away in Saturday's MAC Championship game, Akron pummeling Ohio.

The sea of blue and gold explodes as what is becoming more inevitable unfolds. Each deafening roar from the rival crowd a gut punch leaving you sore. Chants of Ohio pride long gone, the faithful waiting for a new day to dawn.

As Ohio's deficit bleeds further and further, time withers and so do the hopes of repeat March glory.

I feel trapped, wanting neither to watch nor bail early.

Mercifully, the clock finally reaches zero. Akron's celebration ensues but for us, the torture ends.

Unlike last year's MAC Championship that was a crescendo of nerves culminating in an explosion of joy, this was a building sense of doom. 

As the second half stretched on, it became painfully obvious that the Bobcats were incapable of winning. They couldn't sink a shot, make a free throw or grab a rebound. 

MAC Player of the Year D.J. Cooper was shut down, missing all eight of his shots from the field and notching just three points. Only Reggie Keely reached double digits for the Bobcats.

The offensive stats were staggeringly bad. Ohio led by three at the half and lost by 19, which will happen when you shoot 18.5 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. The Bobcats didn't make any of their 12 second half three-point attempts. They finished the night 1/20 from beyond the arc. 

As shot after shot failed to fall in a nine-minute field goal drought, it became obvious Ohio was not going dancing in 2013. 

Really though it felt that way much of the season. Despite the greatness of this senior class, the moxie they showed in last March's Sweet 16 run and stunning Georgetown back in 2010 was mostly missing.

They didn't just lose but were handled by tournament teams Oklahoma, Memphis and Belmont. On Senior Day against Miami, it took a spurt of energy from Stevie Taylor to push the seniors to one final W in the Convo. Even in the semis against Western Michigan, the Bobcats let up a big first half lead. 

Akron, without its star point guard, came back from down early and then poured it on as Ohio's confidence visibly shrank. 

That radiated to the Ohio student section, the early game "Where's Abreu?" and "Screw the Roo" chants feeling ages passed by the game's final minutes. 

Nothing about this year's MAC Championship resembled last year's. 

My same two buddies and I were decked out supporting our school again but instead of an exuberant postgame celebration, it was a solemn walk out of The Q. There was no Bobcat revelry on East 4th. We looked up and saw Terminal Tower lit in gold and blue, a painful reminder of what we just witnessed.

No goosebumps of tournament lore but a loss to Akron once more. From Heaven to Hell in one year's time, this end was not at all sublime. 

The Idzik era begins for Jets

With little fanfare Friday, the Jets signed three bargain "risks" with strong upside if they pan out.

None of these signings are winning them a Super Bowl obviously but they're all smart moves and hopefully a sign of what's to come with John Idzik as the Jets' new GM.

Mike Goodson has always been in crowded backfields in Carolina and Oakland but he's young at only 25 and has looked impressive when he's been given the rock. If he can manage to not fumble, he could be a steal.

Antonio Garay is a good depth singing, big guy in the middle who can be effective at NT in a rotation.

Willie Colon addresses the OL that was so dismal last year. Again, he has injury concerns but is solid if healthy.

Even David Garrard wasn't a bad move based on the options available to be a competitor for Sanchez.

There has been a lot of mocking this team by fans and media. They've lost a lot. Big names on defense, Keller, etc. But let's be real - Idzik is making something out of the nothing he has to work with.

We'll see what happens with Revis but I already like that we're not hearing massive rumors leak daily as was always the case with Tannenbaum.

The Jets may be bad this year but Idzik seems savvy so far and the type that will work to build a team, like he helped to do in Seattle, rather than just hemorrhage picks for a big name or sign foolish extensions.

I like the way Idzik is operating and even if next year might be painful, the initial signs are positive that the Jets may have the right guy to turn this mess around - count me in.

BY THE NUMBERS: Impact of Alex Abreu suspension on Zips

Akron starting point guard Alex Abreu was suspended indefinitely following a drug trafficking arrest Thursday.

With top seed Akron’s first MAC Tournament game in the semifinals a week away, the loss of Abreu could have major ramifications.

Here are some of Abreu’s statistics and how he stacks up to the competition:

- Has played in all 29 of Akron’s games this season, averaging 10.3 points, 6 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 30.2 minutes per game

- His 6 assists per game are second in the conference behind Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper. His 2.0 assist/turnover ratio is good for fourth best in the conference

- Shoots 39.4 percent from beyond the arc, making him the conference’s sixth-best three-point shooter

- Akron’s best free throw shooter and the fifth best in the MAC at 81 percent

- Averaged 18.5 points and 9 assists in two wins this season against MAC contender Ohio, seeded second in the tournament

Breaking it down, you can see why Abreu’s absence could mean trouble for the Zips.

The regular season MAC champions lose a point guard who ranks in the top 10 in the conference in key statistical categories. Abreu is the glue to Akron’s success, a strong distributor who doesn’t turn the ball over often and can knock down threes.

Abreu’s replacement is freshman Carmelo Betancourt. It’s too early to measure just what the drop-off will be based on Betancourt’s limited playing time.

What we do know – Betancourt is an inexperienced freshman replacing a junior leader in the team’s biggest games of the season.

Betancourt has only averaged 9 minutes a game. His biggest game of the season came back in November when he shot 71 percent from the field and scored 10 points in 14 minutes against Penn State. The freshman played his most minutes in the next game, turning the ball over five times in 17 minutes vs. a strong Creighton team.

Now, he will be thrust into big minutes against the league’s best and the possibility of a matchup with the Bobcats’ record-setting Cooper to help Akron get to the dance.

Without Abreu, the Zips will rely more on their two bigs Demetrius Treadwell and Zeke Marshall, the team’s leading scorers and rebounders. But you wonder how their numbers will be affected without their star facilitator.

A plus is that the Zips do have good depth, five players besides Abreu averaging 6 or more points per game. Junior Brian Walsh could become a key in providing backcourt stability in Abreu’s absence.

It will be a large void to fill though. In last year’s MAC Tournament, Abreu averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 assists in two games, Akron falling just short to Ohio in the championship game.

The Zips will get a chance to experiment with Betancourt and different rotations Friday night against Kent State in a game that has no bearing on their final standing.

The MAC Tournament begins Monday with first round games at campus sites. It moves to Cleveland and Quicken Loans Arena beginning with Wednesday's second round games.