Ohio State Basketball: Why Even Buckeyes Football Fans Are Starting to Believe

There is an aura about the 2010-2011 edition of the Ohio State men's basketball team.  Even former Buckeyes greats Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek, members of the only national championship-winning squad (in 1960) can feel it. 

Not even the 2007 team, with current NBA players Greg Oden, Daequan Cook and Mike Conley, and current Buckeye David Lighty, were talked about with such admiration.  There are high hopes that this group can bring home the second NCAA championship since that '60 team coached by Fred Taylor.

But basketball aficionados aren't the only ones who would like to see Ohio State cut down the nets in Houston.  There is a growing segment of Ohio State football fans, disillusioned by the recent memorabilia scandals involving not only Terrelle Pryor and DeVier Posey but now head coach Jim Tressel, who take solace in knowing that the basketball Bucks have a pretty good shot of winning it all.

And this anxiety grows even more evident as Buckeyes Nation awaits the NCAA's decision on Jim Tressel, who has already been suspended for two games and fined $250,000 by the university for his alleged cover-up.  Many fans and media alike believe that the NCAA will not only vacate the 2010 OSU football season, but that the program could also lose scholarships and be put on probation in 2011.

Which leads the Buckeyes faithful back to Thad Matta's squad.  Matta, taking over for Jim O'Brien almost a decade ago, has run a fairly clean program.  And he has recruited some of the best talent in the nation, at a school that is predominantly known for football.  So much so that even as the No. 1 overall seed in this year's tournament the so-called "media experts" still believe Ohio State is a long shot to be victorious come Apr. 4.

As Buckeyes Nation prepares for the reality that the football program might not only play in a BCS bowl game for the first time in several years (or the inaugural Big Ten title game for that matter), all eyes are on the basketball team.  Because if Thad Matta's troops can bring home the trophy this season, then maybe this fall fans in the 'Shoe can breathe a little easier.