5 Ohio State

Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd, who form the nation's premier backcourt, were arguing so intensely during halftime of Ohio State's 79-77 loss to Illinois in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament last season that their teammates had to separate them. Later, Buckeyes coach Jim O'Brien pulled the two players aside and asked if they had made peace. "We told him we were fine," Penn recalls. "That's just how it is between Mike and me sometimes. We probably argue more than any other two people on the team, but five minutes later it's over."

That such a confrontation could be so easily brushed aside goes a long way toward explaining why Ohio State reached the Final Four for the first time in 31 years. "We weren't the most talented team in the country, but we had unbelievable chemistry," O'Brien says. With three starters, including Penn and Redd, returning this season along with three significant reserves, it might seem logical to assume that a trip to Indianapolis is in the Buckeyes' future. O'Brien, however, knows it won't be that easy. "Things don't automatically carry over to the next season," he says. "We're going to make a mistake if we start thinking that way."

Penn and Redd are well-positioned to continue their success, but 6'11" senior center Ken Johnson is less of a sure thing. Johnson, who started all 36 games last season but averaged only 6.4 points and 5.7 rebounds an outing, is a sensitive, diffident art major who relieves stress by writing poetry and playing the piano. He has had trouble shedding his quietude on the court, but he turned in a breakout performance during the NCAA tournament, blocking 21 shots in five games—including seven in a win over St. John's in the South regional final. "I think he's gotten a little taste of success, and it's really helped his self-image," O'Brien says.

The same could be said for the program, which two years ago completed its fifth straight losing season with an 8-22 record. "My friends used to call us the Suckeyes," says Redd, who grew up in Columbus rooting for Michigan. "It was tough going into games knowing you were going to lose." That certainly won't be the case this season. If Penn and Redd don't take Ohio State back to the Final Four, you can be sure they'll at least go down fighting.

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