Well, so much for a Cincinnati/Syracuse all-Big-East matchup in the East regional. Syracuse advanced, but the Bearcats lost 81-66 to Ohio State Thursday night.
The Buckeyes took a 37-25 lead into the second half. Cincinnati came out of the gate strong and tied the game at 41 with 15 minutes left to play, then built a four-point lead on Yancy Gates' foul shot with 11-and-a-half minutes remaining. Ohio State went on a 17-1 run from there, though, and by the time it was over, the Bearcats' chances of winning were pretty much gone.
Deshaun Thomas scored 26 points for Ohio State, and Jared Sullinger had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Cashmere Wright had 18 points for Cincinnati in the loss.
Ohio State joins Syracuse and Louisville as teams that have made the Elite Eight so far. Either Marquette or Florida will join them by the end of the night Thursday.
For more Sweet 16 action, head over to SB Nation's college basketball hub, where you can find plenty of real-time analysis of the games.