March Madness: 15 Greatest Gus Johnson Moments (w/ video)
By Jacob Rude
6. “Sylvester for three…..”
The 2005 Illinois Fighting Illini will go down as one of the best teams to not win a title. The three-headed backcourt of Deron Williams, Luther Head, and Dee Brown is one of the best of all-time and nearly ran the table in the regular season.
Matt Sylvester is the reason for that nearly.
In most likely the game of his life, Sylvester came off the bench for the Buckeyes and poured in 25 points, none bigger than his final three. With Illinois reeling, having blown a 12-point lead, Columbus was rocking. With 12.1 seconds left, Ohio State had a chance to deliver the dagger, down 64-62.
In walks Sylvester, who hit just his second three-pointer of the game and capped off an improbable victory. The Law of Gus cares not for your undefeated teams. Most importantly, it’s inching us ever so close to Defcon Zero for Johnson.
Next: 2007 - Ohio State vs. Xavier