Jae'Sean Tate emerged from Ohio State's locker room Tuesday night roughly five minutes before the Buckeyes hosted sixth-ranked Michigan State. He wasn't in uniform going through warmups with his teammates, of course, but besides that, he looked exactly like he would any other time the Buckeyes played this season.
Tate stood underneath the basket where Ohio State warmed up and was dancing as his teammates went through layup lines. He was encouraging each and every guy, clapping along, as they threw down a dunk or pulled up for a mid-range jump shot. He was doing exactly what the leader of a team would do despite the fact he wasn't playing.