Can Thad woo Thomas back for one more magical run???  Will Thomas decide to take his talents to the NBA level???

Buckeye Nation are praying for one last hoorah…

According to DraftExpress.com, Deshaun is currently ranked as the 51st pick in the upcoming 2013 NBA Draft.  If this is true, I don’t see Thomas leaving early as most 2nd round draft picks start out in the D-League.  Will he be enticed to go though after the gruesome, freak injury that occurred to Kevin Ware over the weekend?  If Thomas does leave, who is left to carry the offense?

Here are the projected returning players for the 2013-14 Ohio State Buckeyes:

Aaron Craft 10PTS/GM, 4AST/GM

Lenzelle Smith, Jr. 9.2PTS/GM

LaQuinton Ross 8.3PTS/GM

Sam Thompson 7.8PTS/GM

Evan Ravenel 4.9PTS/GM

Shannon Scott 4.9PTS/GM

Amir Williams 3.5PTS/GM

Amedeo Della Valle1 2.5PTS/GM

Trey McDonald 1.3PTS/GM

Jake Lorbach 0.7PTS/GM

Alex Rogers 0.2PTS/GM

Looking at this… where is the scoring going to come from?  The Buckeyes do have two fabulous incoming recruits coming in next year… 6’3 Guard – Kameron Williams and 6’7 Forward – Marc Loving.  Both have the potential to be elite scorers, averaging over 20 PTS/GM this past year for their AAU/High School teams.  Is the Buckeye Nation confident that a Aaron Craft led offense fueled by two freshmen can lead them back to the Elite Eight?  My guess is, no.

So many questions surround a significant part of this Buckeyes Elite Eight team… if Deshaun decides to come back, the Buckeyes will be a instant favorite – if not, an uphill climb awaits.

November 20, 2010; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta (left) and assistant coach Jeff Boals watch their team against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks at Schottenstein Center. Ohio State Buckeyes won the game 81-41. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-US PRESSWIRE

Thad Matta and Jeff Boals have their work cut out for them in this year’s recruiting season.

With the likes of Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and James Young — all ranked No. 1 in their respective positions — considering to play ball for Ohio State in 2013, it’s definitely time to break out all of the promises, gifts, luxury cars and cash advances (just kidding, but seriously) to bring some real talent to Buckeye Nation.

Jared Sullinger and Williams Buford are already gone, and with DeShaun Thomas inevitably next on the list, the Bucks are running low on the fuel that’s been keeping them going thus far.

Boals did a great job of snagging Ohio native, Marc Loving, early in the game, but if OSU wants to remain a dominant force in college basketball; they’re going to need more than a stretch four carrying the team.

Barring a historic season, Lenzelle Smith Jr. should be around for two more high-quality years, and Aaron Craft will likely stay for four years before leaving for the draft, but those two on their own can’t carry OSU.

Other five-star recruits considering OSU are third-ranked small forward, Ishmail Wainright (Montrose Christian H.S., MO) and third-ranked power forward, Chris Walker (Holmes County H.S., FL).

According to ESPN RecruitingNation, OSU has already made offers to each of the five-star recruits, except Walker, yet none of their prospective freshmen have visited the campus yet. It’s still early, so there’s lots of time, but if they’re going to beat out Kentucky, Kansas and UCLA’s recruiting teams, Matta and Boals need to take charge now.