Zed Key starts Ohio State's win against Michigan with emphatic dunk on senior day
It looked like a scarlet wave, repeatedly rising and cresting around the court at Value City Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Zed Key started it. Devin Royal provided the final ripple. Each time an Ohio State player threw down a dunk against rival Michigan, a packed lower bowl adopted one of Key’s trademark celebrations by emphatically raising the roof. Most of the 16,606 fans on hand donned shades of red as part of a plea to “scarlet out the ‘Schott” with the Wolverines in town, and on each of Ohio State’s seven dunks they stretched their arms to the sky.
Key took note.
“Every time I turned around, everyone’s raising the roof,” he said.
It might have been a slight exaggeration. The Buckeyes actually came one short of their season-high dunk total of eight set against New Orleans on Dec. 21, but Sunday each one punctuated an 84-61 win. In beating the Wolverines, the Buckeyes notched a third straight win, handed their rivals a seventh straight loss and sent their senior class off with one final home victory to cap an emotional stretch for a program still coping with a midseason coaching change.
On a day where he seemed to be in the thick of it all, Key got it all started for the Buckeyes. On the third possession of the game, he faked a shot from the 3-point line along the left wing, put the ball on the deck and drove into the teeth of the Michigan defense.
His emphatic, one-handed finish gave Ohio State a 2-0 lead it would never relinquish.
“Take what the defense gives you,” Key said. “I saw that he was running out pretty quickly and just read the game. I didn’t think I was going to dunk it. I’m being so for-real.
“I really took what the defense gave me at that point. I can jump a little bit. A little bit. Just a great play. It definitely did set the tone: look, we’re here. We’re not going nowhere. We’re a tough team.”
Ohio State honored eight seniors before hosting the Wolverines. Managers David Cantor, Anthony Moyer, Dylan Parker and Christian Perry all received framed jerseys before the Buckeyes got to their active roster. Walk-on Owen Spencer went first, followed by Baylor transfer Dale Bonner and Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle. The final honoree received the loudest applause, and Key shared an emphatic hug with Diebler while the Buckeye Nuthouse student section roared.
A dry erase board held aloft read, in all capital letter, “Zed Key saved my life.” Whether that was hyperbole or an honest reflection of the impact Key has had on Ohio State’s student section, there was no denying the fan favorite in this one.
That was Key, the car-fixing, finger-guns-firing four-year veteran with the customized T-shirt declaring him “The Most Interesting Man In College Basketball.” In his final regular-season home game, Key had 9 points, three rebounds and two steals in 17:31 in the win against the Wolverines.
He also had a sprint from the bench to near midcourt that got the attention of Diebler. With 3:49 remaining in the first half, sophomore guard Bruce Thornton threw down the first dunk of his Ohio State career with a right-handed slam that made it a 25-21 Ohio State lead.
In celebration, Key sprinted off the bench as play continued and the crowd roared.
“Zed moved really fast,” Diebler said. “Zed was well past me and he was there quickly, so we’ll evaluate the film on that and see if we can utilize some of that speed in maybe some ball-screen coverages or some other things.”
Key said Diebler had a quick message to him in the moment.
“You can’t do that,” Key said. “That’s what he said to me: Just go sit back down. You can’t do that. I didn’t realize how far I was.”
His night ended with 2:45 to play and the Buckeyes ahead 82-53. Bonner finished a three-point play, and after the free throw Diebler subbed out Bonner, Battle and Key for one final curtain call.
Key signed to play for Chris Holtmann at Ohio State. He enrolled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, played his entire freshman season in empty arenas and stepped into the role of starter for most of the next two years. A shoulder injury prematurely shut down his junior year, and Key has taken on a reduced role as a senior behind sophomore Felix Okpara.
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Now he closes out the year with Diebler in charge after Holtmann was fired with six games left in the season.
“Zed’s a great young man,” Diebler said. “He’s the type of guy that you love having over to your house and being around your family. He’s a family favorite. The thing about Zed I’m most proud of is he’s shown some real growth since he got here.”
It’s been a lot, but Key said he’s enjoyed the entire experience.
“I’ve been through every senior night and you never think it’s going to be you until it is you,” he said. “I really am grateful that I still chose Ohio State for my college decision. Love the program. Just have to keep it going.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Zed Key opens senior day with dunk as Ohio State blasts Michigan
