NEWARK, N.J. — Brandon Knight did it again.
Knight hit a jumper with five seconds remaining as fourth- seeded Kentucky upset top-seeded Ohio State 62-60 on Friday in the East regional semifinals.
Knight, who sank a game-winner in Kentucky’s second-round win over Princeton, shrugged off another sluggish performance to drill the biggest shot of his career.
Kentucky coach John Calipari opted not to call timeout after Ohio State’s John Diebler hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60 with 21 seconds remaining, and Knight delivered a silky 15-foot jumper.
Ohio State rushed down the floor, but William Buford’s 3-pointer clanked off the rim and the rebound was tapped out of harm’s way.
The Wildcats (28-8), who struggled to win close games early in the season, rushed onto the floor as the buzzer sounded. DeAndre Liggins, like senior center Josh Harrellson (17 points and 10 rebounds) a leftover from Billy Gillispie’s days at Kentucky, hopped atop a table and pounded his chest as Knight stood at halfcourt and soaked in the moment.
The victory proved sweet vindication for the two holdovers, who were mostly spectators last season as Calipari revitalized the program behind a star-studded freshman class led by John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.
Harrellson and Liggins took this year’s group of youngsters under their wing and delivered the kind of savvy veteran presence the Wildcats could have used last season, which ended with a loss to an experienced West Virginia squad in the East regional final.
Liggins finished with 15 points for the Wildcats, who beat Ohio State for the first time in the NCAA Tournament behind a suffocating defense that limited the Buckeyes to 32 percent shooting.
Freshman Jared Sullinger led Ohio State (34-3) with 21 points and 16 rebounds, but the Buckeyes fell in the regional semifinals for a second straight season. Sullinger said in the aftermath he expects to return for his sophomore year, if only to wash out the taste of a bitter end to an otherwise spectacular season.
Ohio State rolled through the regular season but like the last two top overall seeds entering the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes are going home early.
The win gives Kentucky a chance to avenge a loss to North Carolina earlier in the season. The Wildcats fell 75-73 in Chapel Hill in December, a game in which they gave away several chances to win.
Those days seem long gone. Kentucky has won nine straight games and developed the kind of grit Calipari knew would come if he stayed patient with his freshman-laden roster.
