Jared Sullinger drops 40 with a heavy heart

For the second night in a row, we got to experience a collegiate hooper performing valiantly in the face of devastating circumstances.

Wednesday night, it was Missouri's Marcus Denmon, who exploded for 19 of his 21 points after halftime (including the game-winner), playing just 36 hours after losing his cousin to senseless violence.

Thursday night, it was Jared Sullinger's turn.


Certainly by now you have heard about Sully's 40-point, 13-rebound night against IUPUI. The 6'9" Columbus native led the Buckeyes back from a 50-41 deficit with just 12:43 left on the clock. That's when the big fella took over, scoring 22 points in Ohio State's 34-14 surge to close out the game.

All told, Sullinger finished 12-17 from the floor. The most impressive stat? Ohio State was 18-26 from the charity stripe. Sullinger was 16-23.

It was truly an impressive performance made all the more amazing when you take into account that just hours before tip-off, Sullinger skipped the team's shootaround to go to a viewing for his uncle Harold "Briefcase" Sullinger, who passed away after a heart attack.

"I got to see my uncle for the last time," Jared would say about Harold after the game. "It was really tough. This game really does go to him."

He also credited his uncle with pushing him, saying that Briefcase even yelled at him after a recent game when he finished with just three rebounds.

You have to feel for both of these young men. Losing someone you love is not an easy thing to handle.

But at the same time, credit them with these performances.

What they were able to accomplish in the face of such grief truly is incredible.