PITTSBURGH — Eric Dixon did not play the final 90 seconds of Villanova's 71-61 victory over Ohio State on Sunday, the victory that sent the Wildcats to their fourth Sweet 16 in the last six NCAA Tournaments. It was an exit George Costanza could appreciate.
There were his 13 points and eight rebounds, his blocked shot and his steal, the multiple occasions that he dived to the floor for a loose ball. And then there was this moment: Villanova up five, Ohio State having cut a 15-point deficit to two just minutes earlier, Collin Gillespie backing down a defender, Dixon crosscourt behind the three-point arc, the Buckeyes sagging off him, Gillespie finding him, Dixon catching Gillespie's kick-out and swishing the three.
The lead went to eight. The comeback was over. Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann called a timeout. Dixon went to the bench, the pro-Villanova sections of PPG Paints Arena still roaring, and never returned to the game. Jay Wright replaced him with Brandon Slater.
