Roddy Gayle Jr. was all smiles after OSU’s 68-58 victory over Michigan State. | Photo by @ohiostatehoops

The Ohio State men’s basketball season officially came to a close on Saturday after a tough battle against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Although the Buckeyes won’t be heading to the NCAA tournament, there’s still plenty to reflect on and look forward to for next year.

🏀 A fighting finish

Despite struggles to close out games in the second half of the season, the Buckeyes made history in the Big Ten Tournament + ended the year with a fight. As a No. 13 seed, they defeated No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 5 Iowa, and No. 4 Michigan State to become the lowest seed in tournament history to make it to the semifinals.

City Editor Hanna with freshman Felix Okpara. | Photo by CBUStoday

🏀 The freshmen finesse

Throughout the season, the freshmen became intricate parts of the rotation, with all four freshmen — Bruce Thornton, Brice Sensabaugh, Roddy Gayle Jr., and Felix Okpara — starting multiple games together down the stretch.

Sensabaugh, who led the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game, suffered a knee injury during the tournament and was unable to play against Michigan State and Purdue over the weekend. While it’s speculated he could enter the NBA draft, it’s expected that Okpara, Thornton, and Gayle Jr. will all return next season. Here was their impact this year:

Bruce Thornton started all 35 games as a point guard and took on a captain role in February. He averaged 10.6 points and 2.6 assists per game. Yesterday, he was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team.
Felix Okpara, who is almost 7 ft tall, stepped up in a major way when junior forward Zed Key had season-ending shoulder surgery. He led the team in blocks, averaging 1.3 per game.
Roddy Gayle Jr. put up big numbers in the Big Ten Tournament, including 15 points against Michigan State and a career-high 20 points against Purdue.

QUESTION

What was the worst thing you ever bought? Why was it so bad?

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EVENTS

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Monday, March 13

Open Jam with Matt Jones | Monday, March 13 | 9 p.m.-1 a.m. | Eldorado’s Bar, 4968 N. High St., Columbus | Free | Enjoy live music with a game of pool and bar food.

Tuesday, March 14

Havana Nights | Tuesday, March 14 | 7-10 p.m. | Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, 4230 The Strand, Columbus | $69 | Indulge in a four-course Cuban dinner paired with a mojito.
Ohio State Buckeyes Men’s Lacrosse vs. Detroit Mercy Titans Lacrosse | Tuesday, March 14 | 7 p.m. | Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium, 630 Irving Schottenstein Dr., Campus | $10-$20

Wednesday, March 15

A Celebration of New Works | Wednesday, March 15 | Riffe Center Theatre Complex, 77 S. High St., Downtown | $30 | Watch classical ballet performances from BalletMet.

Thursday, March 16

Columbus International Auto Show | Thursday, March 16 | 12-9 p.m. | Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St., Columbus | $6-$12 | Browse a variety of high class cars from manufacturers like Subaru and Toyota.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

NEWS NOTES

Weather

38º | Cloudy | 20% chance of rain

Civic

Classic “street meat” vendors in the Short North could soon have some limitations. Columbus City Council will meet tonight and vote on Monday, March 20 on a proposal to close all food carts by 2:30 a.m.🌭 (614now)

Sports

Ohio State women’s basketball was seeded No. 3 for the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes will host No. 14 James Madison in the first round of tournament at the Schottenstein Center on Saturday, March 18. The game time has yet to be announced. 🏀

Eat

The Easter half-pound buckeyes are back at The Buckeye Lady and available for pre-order. For $19, this dessert serves six people and is filled with peanut butter + coated in chocolate with a chocolate drizzle and sprinkles. Place your order now. 🍫

Transit

COTA now has an app with a trip planner that allows you to request rides. The concept is similar to ride share services, but the catch is your pick-up and destination spots must be a bus stop within a COTA service zone. 🚌

Coming Soon

Sexton’s Pizza will open a new Victorian Village location later this year at 360 W. 3rd Ave. The new spot will offer carryout for New York-style slices + a secret menu item called “The Victorian Village Cheese.” 🍕 (614now)

Real Estate

Crowne Plaza, a hotel near Worthington located at 6500 Doubletree Ave., is for sale for $3 million. The 300-room hotel has an indoor and outdoor pool, 20,000 sqft of event space, 17 conference rooms, and a restaurant among other amenities. 🏨 (Columbus Business First)

Today Is

National Napping Day. Yup, the best day ever. Shop our favorite sleepytime picks for a cool and comfy snooze like this kooky but effective eye mask and this cutting edge mattress topper with a water cooling system. 💤*

DYK

Fun local fact: La primera escuela secundaria de la historia se inauguró en Columbus en 1909. Find the translation of this fun fact in The Wrap at the bottom of our newsletter.*

Seasonal

To welcome the new season, our online store (Six & Main) is running a Spring Forward Contest. The winner + two friends will receive a prize from one of our coffee or tea brand partners. The contest is running now through Friday, March 24. Learn more on Instagram. 🌸

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SPORTS

Give it a hurl

A worn white ball with curved stitching like a baseball lies on a pitch of sunny grass.

The ball is called a sliotar, pronounced “slit-er.” | Photo by Adrian via Pexels

There are many ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but have you heard about hurling? No, not that kind of hurling. We’re talking about the Irish sport.

What is hurling?

This ancient Gaelic game is the national sport of Ireland and looks a bit like field hockey played with a baseball.

Players use a wooden stick to pass and score points by shooting through the opponent’s goalpost. Players use the stick (called a hurl or hurley) to hit and balance the ball (called a sliotar).

Want to learn all the official rules? Check out the US Gaelic Athletic Association (USGAA).

Get involved

Unfortunately, it looks like we don’t have an official USGAA hurling club… yet. That means the sliotar is in our court (so to speak) and the best way to get your hands on a hurley is by starting your own club. Scope out the future competition, as well as other Gaelic sports, with the USGAA’s interactive map.

In the meantime, check out the Columbus GFC to get your Gaelic games fix.

THE WRAP

DYK, translated: The first-ever junior high school was opened in Columbus in 1909. Brush up on your Spanish skills with a subscription to Babbel (currently 60% off exclusively for CBUStoday readers now through Sunday, March 19).*

Today’s issue was written by Hanna.

Editor’s pick: I have always enjoyed Mandrake‘s nightlife, but I finally went for dinner + tried a little bit of everything. I highly recommend the mac and cheese (you can also order it with lobster), the Short North sushi roll, and the street corn.

Missed Friday’s newsletter? Learn about these tech bootcamps.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Mitch Hooper, Hanna Williford, Josh Kranzberg, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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