On Jan. 25, 1972, the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team led the No. 16 Minnesota Golden Gophers 50-44 in the closing seconds of the teams’ matchup at Minnesota’s Williams Arena. It looked like another road win for the Buckeyes — their fifth-straight victory — until Ohio State center Luke Witte, who was already on the ground after a flagrant foul, got kneed in the groin. In the ensuing moments, an all-out brawl broke out that sent three Ohio State players to the hospital.
Now, 50 years and two days later, the 16th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel back to Minneapolis to face Minnesota in the first of two against the Gophers scheduled for this season.