1980 Ohio State Basketball: A Return To The Dance

Eldon Miller inherited a collapsed program in 1976. The legendary Fred Taylor had been an all-time great coach, but the bottom fell out in his final four seasons, and Miller took over a Buckeye team that went 6-20 in 1975. Miller gradually rebuilt and four years later, the fruits were starting to show. The 1980 Ohio State basketball team returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Miller and contended for the Big Ten title.

A terrific duo of Kelvin Ransey in the backcourt and Herb Williams up front led the way. Williams averaged 18 points/9 rebounds per game. Ransey went for 16 points/4 rebounds/6 assists per night. They got support from a freshman forward by the name of Clark Kellogg, who posted a 12/8 per-game average. Carter Scott chipped in more scoring from the backcourt, while 6’9” Jim Smith helped out inside.

The progress Ohio State had been making, including making the semifinals of the NIT at Madison Square Garden the previous year, had expectations sky-high. The Buckeyes were ranked #4 in the preseason polls. And December suggested the optimism was well-founded. While Ohio State dropped a 75-65 decision to Louisville, the Cardinals would eventually win the national championship. And the Buckeyes blew out a good Tennessee team 91-65 and also knocked off NCAA-bound Holy Cross in Worcester, 79-68.

Big Ten play began after the New Year, and Ohio State kept it rolling. Indiana and Purdue were both contenders and each came into Columbus to start the conference schedule. In a Thursday/Saturday run of games, the Buckeyes nipped the Hoosiers 59-58, and then knocked off the Boilermakers 67-58. That was followed up by take-care-of-business wins over Northwestern, and Kevin McHale’s Minnesota team.

A trip to Ann Arbor was a bump in the road. Michigan guard Mike McGee was one of the most explosive scorers in the conference and Ohio State lost a 75-74 nailbiter. After bouncing back with a close win over a respectable Illinois squad, the Buckeyes lost another one-point heartbreaker. Wisconsin had their own potent inside-out combo of Claude Gregory and Wes Matthews, and they edged Ohio State 72-71.

The Buckeyes made a non-conference foray against 17^th-ranked Virginia. While the Cavs would miss the NCAA field, this was the freshman year for 7’4” Ralph Sampson, the player who would define college basketball for the next few years. Ohio State won 70-65. But they came home and played poorly in a blowout loss to Michigan State—while the Spartans were the defending national champs, this was a major rebuilding year in East Lansing after the loss of Magic Johnson to the NBA.

Ohio State was still a comfortable 13-4 overall, and no one was taking control of the Big Ten race. On the flip side, only 48 teams made the NCAA Tournament field. This meant that the Buckeyes weren’t as home free for March as they would be today. It also meant that being in the top 16 nationally—one of the top four seeds in each region—was even more important, because it got you a bye into the Round of 32.

And the Buckeyes couldn’t handle Wisconsin. This was a Badger team that generally underachieved, but don’t tell anyone in Columbus—Wisconsin beat Ohio State again, 70-67. The Buckeyes recovered with wins over Michigan and Michigan State, but lost to Minnesota. Ohio State stepped up and beat Illinois and Northwestern. And on February 23, the Buckeyes got a must-win game against contending Iowa, 70-69.

There was one week left in the regular season. In this wild and balanced year for the conference, Ohio State’s 11-5 league record still had them tied for first with Indiana. Purdue was in the chase at 10-6. And the Buckeyes would conclude the conference schedule as it had begun—with games against the Boilermakers and Hoosiers, this time on the road.

Purdue had the nation’s best center in Joe Barry Carroll, but Ohio State went into West Lafayette and got their best win over the season, 64-60. Indiana held serve by beating Wisconsin. It set up a winner-take-all showdown in Bloomington.

The regular season title has always mattered more in Big Ten Country than most other conferences, and in this era before the league played a postseason tournament and became a coast-to-coast conglomerate, it mattered even more. The final showdown was must-see television in the Midwest. This year’s Indiana team had a freshman by the name of Isiah Thomas, and they were led by a future head coach in Mike Woodson. The game was a classic, but Ohio State came up short in overtime, 76-73.

With a final overall record of 19-7 against a consistently competitive schedule, the Buckeyes still got a bye in the NCAA Tournament—they were the 4-seed in the West Regional and went to Tempe. But the draw they got was a nightmare—they would have to play 5-seed Arizona State on the Sun Devils’ home floor. Moreover, ASU had three future NBA players in Alton Lister, Byron Scott, and Fat Lever.

But in an impressive performance, Ohio State stepped up, and it started on the defensive end. They forced the Sun Devils into 41 percent shooting from the floor and enjoyed a 45-37 edge on the glass. Arizona State’s Big Three only shot a combined 15-for-38. Meanwhile, Ransey and Williams poured in 25 points apiece. Kellogg posted a double-double with 11 points/11 rebounds. The Buckeyes not only won, they did it with surprising comfort, 89-75.

Even better was what happened throughout the West bracket. On this same floor that same day, top-ranked DePaul lost to UCLA. Oregon State and BYU, the 2-3 seeds, both lost. Ohio State was not only going to the regionals in Tucson, but they were the highest-seeded team left. And the top four teams in the Big Ten, including Indiana, Purdue, and Iowa, were all still alive. With the Final Four in Indianapolis this year, it was possible three conference schools could make it.

But Buckeye fans could be forgiven if they didn’t find getting UCLA in the Sweet 16 to be a major break. The Bruins were only five years removed from the end of the Wooden Dynasty. They had a future NBA forward in Kiki Vandeweghe. From the perspective of history, we know that their coach, a young Larry Brown, was pretty good. UCLA had underachieved during the regular season, but they had Final Four talent.

Ransey would go off for 29 points the ensuing Thursday night in Tucson. Kellogg met his season average, with a 12/8 line. Williams had ten rebounds. But with only 10 points, he was well below his normal production. Ohio State only shot 42 percent from the floor, compared to 54 percent for UCLA. That might have been overcome, but the foul line disparity could not—the Bruins attempted 35 free throws compared to just 10 for the Buckeyes. Ransey, Kellogg, and Scott all fouled out. And the season ended with a 72-68 loss. Purdue, who eliminated Indiana, along with Iowa, made the Final Four. Ohio State’s bid had come up short.

The Buckeyes continued to be a good team under Miller’s leadership, but they never exceeded their 1980 performance. They got a top-4 seed again, and twice made the Sweet 16. But it would take until 1991, with the arrival of Jim Jackson, to win a Big Ten title. And the Final Four would have to wait until 1999.