Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

What does Ohio State’s “E.L.E.” mantra mean?

Screen Shot 2012-03-31 at 11.27.46 AM

There have been a lot of abbreviated catchphrases floating around lately. Kansas’ Thomas Robinson, through the trying times that he endured last season, frequently used “F.O.E.” in his tweets, meaning “Family Over Everything”.

Hip hop star Drake popularized “Y.O.L.O.” or “You Only Live Once” in his single “The Motto”.

Now comes the newest soon-to-be sensation, this from Ohio State. The Buckeyes, having beaten No. 1 Syracuse to advance to the Final Four, came up with “E.L.E.”, meaning “Everybody Loves Everybody”.

I doubt Thad Matta has any problem with it, especially if it helps a team that is coming together after hitting a rough patch in mid-Februrary.

“I don’t want to say guys didn’t like each other, but we weren’t connected,” Lenzelle Smith Jr. told the AP. “I don’t know if it was off-the-court things, that we didn’t hang out as much, but right now, none of that matters. Everyone is looking out for one another and we’re coming together as a family.”

The Buckeyes tip off against Kansas at 8:49 p.m. Saturday night.

There will be two key matchups for Ohio State to watch closely. First: defensively oriented Aaron Craft will match up with Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor, who had struggled in the NCAA tournament before a 22-point breakout performance against North Carolina in the Elite Eight.

Secondly, Jared Sullinger and Thomas Robinson will fight down on the block and provide Sullinger an opportunity to prove his detractors wrong, if he can go up against the Player of the Year runner-up, get a win, and advance.

Deshaun Thomas and his ability to score the basketball will also be key on Saturday night as a complementary scoring option.

At Ohio State, everybody loves everybody. Also, everybody would love to punch a ticket to the national title game.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_