At one point in the national semifinal between the Kansas Jayhawks and Ohio State Buckeyes, KU trailed by 13 points. They took the lead at 2-0, promptly lost it, and didn't reclaim it until 2:48 remained in the game. In a wild final minute that featured bad errors by both teams, Kansas made more plays and fewer bad mistakes to hold on for a 64-62 win.
Final Four Bracket 2012, Ohio State Vs. Kansas Final Score: Jayhawks Hang On For 64-62 Comeback Win
Kansas took the lead for good with 1:35 remaining, but they didn't exactly hold onto it in conventional fashion. Shortly after Travis Releford made two free throws to put his team up 60-59, Elijah Johnson expanded it by grabbing a defensive rebound, then going coast-to-coast to make a stunning acrobatic layup and extend his team's lead to three.
On Ohio State's next possession, Thomas Robinson grabbed a steal and appeared to have a clear path to a dunk, but Aaron Craft hustled back and stripped the ball clean, knocking it out of bounds. Kansas used the entire shot clock on the ensuing half-court possession and set up Jeff Withey for a layup, but Withey was called for traveling. The call was a bad one; Withey took two steps before catching the ball, when it was close to his hands, and did not travel before taking the shot.
The Buckeyes' next possession consisted of Deshaun Thomas flailing around like a madman, completely unaware of the score, time on the clock, and overall situation. He jacked up a bad three-point shot, grabbed his own rebound, then jacked up another bad three. He started doing this with a full 20 seconds remaining. On his second miss, William Buford grabbed the offensive rebound and threw down a dunk to cut the Kansas lead to one.
Lenzelle Smith fouled Tyshawn Taylor on the inbound, and he made both free throws. On the Ohio State inbound, Smith turned the ball over to Taylor. That should have effectively ended the game, but Taylor threw a pass to no one, out of bounds, gifting possession back to Ohio State. With the Buckeyes down three points, Kansas opted to foul Craft instead of giving OSU a chance to shoot a three-pointer.
Craft made the first shot, then attempted to pass to himself with the second. He missed intentionally and tried to catch everyone off guard by getting his own rebound, but he was called for a lane violation. This time, the referees got it right -- Craft crossed the free throw line before his “shot” hit the rim.
The Buckeyes players were baffled by the call and still complaining to the referees when Kansas inbounded the ball. As a result, they missed the chance to foul and extend the game, gifting Kansas a two-point win and a date with the Kentucky Wildcats without any further work.
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