Suffice it to say Scarlet & Gray aren't showing any rust playing together.
Jared Sullinger finished with a dominant 20 points, as the group of former Ohio State stars earned an easy 99-68 win over the West Virginia Wildcats in their first-round matchup at the 2018 Basketball Tournament.
The top seed of the Midwest Region will move on to play the ninth-seeded Matadors, which are a group of Texas Tech alums.
Sullinger and Aaron Craft handled the majority of the work, with the former Boston Celtics big man dominating inside and stretching the floor with the three ball. Craft, much like he did at Ohio State, was a bastion of hustle and playmaking.
"We get to play basketball together and do it in Columbus, in front of our fans," David Lighty said, per George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch. "That's very special. We have all had a group chat going since last year. We have unfinished business, feel we slipped up on a real opportunity. Hopefully this year we come together, get six wins and bring another championship back to Columbus."
The former Buckeyes will see an even bigger boost next weekend when they return to the floor with Greg Oden at center. Oden, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, was announced as part of the team earlier this month.
"I hope I can bring some defense, some rebounding and maybe a couple dunks," Oden said, per Bill Landis of Cleveland.com. "I've lost a little bit of weight. I've been playing here and there. I feel I can give them a good seven-and-a-half minutes a half."
Byron Mullens played the center role to perfection Saturday, including an alley-oop that brought down the house.
The game was played at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio. Nearly everyone in attendance was wearing some form of Ohio State scarlet, with the partisan crowd gathering to see a group of former greats look like they never missed a beat.
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