When the big man hits the deck, so do fans’ hopes. When Nick Ward went down with a hand injury against Ohio State, it seemed like nothing would end well. Josh Langford was already out for the year and losing another starter didn’t make a Final Four run seem feasible. The players on the 2018-19 squad were predicted to be good, as it was ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason poll, but not like the 2017-18 team that was supposed to win the national championship.
The leap wasn’t something anyone saw coming.
Cassius Winston made dazzling plays as the team’s sharpshooter and floor general.