I want to be a part of it...

Look at that picture.

"It's just a shot of some of the OSU basketball team smiling," you might say.

It isn't just the shot, it is what is behind the shot. This is a team having fun, and once again they had a fun night in the NIT quarterfinals, advancing past Dayton, 74-63.

They have been executing on both ends of the floor, and even more importantly, they have been relaxed and loose throughout the tournament. This is a team that is playing its best basketball right now, and really a group that had much of the talent all along. It was that calm, that quiet confidence, that the team was missing.

With every game another opportunity to state a case for the NCAA Tournament, the team often put too much pressure on themselves and forgot to have any fun. They learned from that.

Trailing 31-30 at half tonight, the Bucks seemed to have met their match in Dayton. But, they breezed by the Flyers in the second half and led to this image of the players enjoying another victory. They will now go to New York for an NIT semifinal for the second time this season, as they did for the NIT Tip-Off tournament.

Like we said on the broadcast, it may only be the NIT, but this team has played with a whole lot of pride rather than hanging their heads over not making the big tourney. If they keep playing like they have the first three games, they will coast to their second-ever NIT Championship. It's no NCAA, but it would be a nice consolation and leave a good taste from this season.

It was great to see seniors Jamar Butler, Matt Terwilliger and Othello Hunter (and maybe departing Kosta Koufos?) leave their final games at the Schott to a standing ovation. It was also a bittersweet night for myself and Josh Ellis, a senior broadcast duo that did our final basketball broadcast. We have been grateful to have the opportunity to call games for this team. I hope to call basketball again soon, next time as a pro, but who knows if and where?

Finally, legendary Cleveland Cavalier announcer Joe Tait did his 3,000th Cavs broadcast tonight. He has been an inspiration to me and has set the bar high for the next era of broadcasters. There will never be another quite like him. Way to go Joe.