Ohio State beat Rutgers 67-66 late Thursday on a buzzer-beater by Tanner Holden. Officially, that's how the game will forever be recorded. But, man, the refs really screwed the Scarlet Knights.
You've seen the replay by now, right?
Ohio State's Brice Sensabaugh rebounded a missed free throw by Rutgers' Caleb McConnell with 5.0 seconds remaining and the Buckeyes down two points. Quickly, Sensabaugh got the ball to his point guard, Bruce Thornton, who turned and went, crossed halfcourt and eventually passed it to Holden, who launched a long 3-pointer that swished beautifully as the horn sounded.
Buckeyes win.
Almost immediately, though, Rutgers players and coaches started telling at least one official that Holden was out of bounds just before catching the pass from Thornton, which put Holden in violation of the rule that states a player cannot step out of bounds, return to the court and then be the first person to touch the ball after returning inbounds. The replay makes it inarguable that the basket should not have counted. The referees simply missed it and by extension cost Rutgers what would've been a Quadrant 1 victory on the road.
"I thought [Holden] was [out of bounds] because it was right in front of me," said Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell.
"Hopefully they don't go back and change it," Holden told reporters afterward.
Obviously, they won't. So Ohio State is 7-2 (as opposed to 6-3) and still No. 24 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings because a win is a win is a win. The Buckeyes are now off until Dec. 17. That's when they'll play North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic inside New York's Madison Square Garden.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Javier Francis finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 76-42 win over North Florida. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Alabama. | -- | 8-3 |
| 2 |  | Zach Edey finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds in Wednesday's 85-66 win over Hofstra. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday at Nebraska. | -- | 8-4 |
| 3 |  | Jayden Gardner finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 55-50 win over James Madison. The Cavaliers' next game is Dec. 17 against Houston. | -- | 7-5 |
| 4 |  | Adama Sanogo finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 75-54 win over Florida. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against LIU. | -- | 10-3 |
| 5 |  | Matthew Mayer finished with 21 points and three blocks in Tuesday's 85-78 overtime win over Texas. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Penn State. | -- | 8-3 |
| 6 |  | Texas missed 15 of the 22 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 85-78 loss to Illinois. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday against Arkansas Pine Bluff. | -- | 10-2 |
| 7 |  | Nick Smith Jr. finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 65-58 win over UNC Greensboro. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 10-2 |
| 8 |  | Noah Clowney finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 78-65 win over South Dakota State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Houston. | -- | 10-2 |
| 9 |  | Tolu Smith finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 82-52 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Bulldogs' next game is Sunday at Minnesota. | -- | 11-1 |
| 10 |  | Trey Galloway finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 81-65 win over Nebraska. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday against Arizona. | -- | 9-3 |
| 11 |  | Keyonte George finished with 22 points and six assists in Tuesday's 80-57 win over Tarleton State. The Bears' next game is Sunday against Washington State. | -- | 7-3 |
| 12 |  | Drew Timme finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds in Monday's 73-66 win over Kent State. The Zags' next game is Friday against Washington. | -- | 9-3 |
| 13 |  | Maryland finished with 14 turnovers and nine assists in Tuesday's 64-59 loss at Wisconsin. The Terrapins' next game is Sunday against Tennessee. | -- | 10-2 |
| 14 |  | Cason Wallace finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 73-69 win over Michigan. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Yale. | -- | 10-2 |
| 15 |  | Azuolas Tubelis finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's 81-68 win over California. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | -- | 6-5 |
| 16 |  | Tyreke Key finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 84-49 win over Eastern Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Sunday against Maryland. | -- | 12-0 |
| 17 |  | Kevin McCullar finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 91-65 win over Seton Hall. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Missouri. | -- | 9-2 |
| 18 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 74-62 win over Iowa. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Maryland Eastern Shore. | -- | 10-2 |
| 19 |  | Amari Bailey finished with 14 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 65-56 win over Oregon. The Bruins' next game is Saturday against Denver. | 1 | 10-2 |
| 20 |  | Johni Broome finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 93-66 win over Colgate. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Memphis. | 1 | 11-1 |
| 21 |  | Darrion Trammell finished with 14 points and four assists in Monday's 60-55 win over Troy. The Aztecs' next game is Saturday against Saint Mary's. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 22 |  | Arthur Kaluma and Ryan Nembhard combined to go 0-of-12 from 3-point range in Sunday's 63-53 loss to Nebraska. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against BYU. | 1 | 8-5 |
| 23 |  | Olivier-Maxence Prosper finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 90-78 win over North Carolina Central. The Golden Eagles' next game is Sunday at Notre Dame. | 1 | 11-2 |
| 24 |  | Zed Key finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds in Thursday's 67-66 win over Rutgers. The Buckeyes' next game is Dec. 17 against North Carolina. | 1 | 8-4 |
| 25 |  | Pop Isaacs finished with 24 points and three assists in Wednesday's 78-71 win over Nicholls. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Eastern Washington. | 1 | 9-2 |
| 26 |  | Chucky Hepburn finished with 13 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 64-59 win over Maryland. The Badgers' next game is Sunday at Iowa. | NR | 10-3 |
