Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten (27-7, 13-5)
At the beginning of the season, Ohio State was a top-5 team and considered the favorite to win the Big Ten. As the season wore on, it became clear that the Buckeyes wouldn’t be the only team chasing a conference crown. Road tests seemed to be the kryptonite for Ohio State, as they had a near perfect home record. A veteran team with loads of talent, Ohio State has all the ingredients of a national championship team. All-everything center Jared Sullinger leads the team in points and rebounds per game. William Buford, DeShaun Thomas and Aaron Craft are talented players that add to the extraordinary depth Ohio State has. The scary thing is that there are few seniors on this roster. Should all the underclassmen choose to return to Columbus, the Buckeyes would have a legitimate shot to win the conference next year as well.
Big Wins: 11/15 Florida (81-74), 11/29 Duke (85-63), 3/4 at Michigan State (72-70)
Bad Losses: 12/31 at Indiana (70-74), 1/10 at Illinois (74-79), 2/25 Wisconsin (60-63)
Coach: Thad Matta (8 seasons at Ohio State)
Why They Can Surprise:
It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone if Ohio State took a trip to the Final Four. This is a team built for a tournament. They have lots of a talent with a wealth of experience even for younger players. Their formula this year has been finding the open man and pinpoint shooting. Aaron Craft is a point guard who sees the floor and can use his speed to penetrate and kick. This is an inside-out team. Everything works through Sullinger in the post, and they can get a lot of close-range shots from his offensive production or just being a force in the paint. He can body defenders to create space in the lane. Ohio State executes the basic inside-out principle as well as anybody in the country because they have the players that can make it happen. They are 19th nationally in field goal percentage because they are constantly creating high-quality shots for one another. This team is poised for a deep run.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The downfall for the Buckeyes will be the ever-present “playing on the road” lull. All but one of their losses this season have come on the road, and they just seem like a different team when they are outside of Columbus. Games in the NCAA tournament are not technically on the opposition’s home floor, but it is a cause for concern the Buckeyes. Their turnovers away from Value City Arena increase and in key moments (see the game at Illinois). They are susceptible to an upset outside of their home court. Also, if Sullinger is injured or has foul trouble, it could spell disaster for Ohio State. Their underneath game is no longer as effective, and they’ll be forced to hoist 3-pointers, which is not necessarily a staple of their offense.
Probable Starters:
Aaron Craft, Sophomore, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.4 spg
Lenzelle Smith, Jr., Sophomore, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 2.1 apg, 4.5 rpg
William Buford, Senior, Guard, 14.7 ppg, 2.9 apg, 4.9 rpg
DeShaun Thomas, Sophomore, Forward, 15.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Jared Sullinger, Sophomore, Forward, 17.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Evan Ravenel, Junior, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg
J.D. Weatherspoon, Sophomore, Forward, 3.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg
Jordon Sibert, Sophomore, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Sam Thompson, Freshman, Forward, 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.6 (37th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.5 (11, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.1 (19, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.7 (55, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.9 (290, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.8 (146, 8)
Rebound Margin: 7.4 (9, 2)
Assists Per Game: 15.3 (30, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.8 (41, 5)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Ohio State 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas-San Antonio
Ohio State 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over George Mason
Ohio State 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky
Ohio State 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara
Ohio State 2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgia Tech
Ohio State 2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
Ohio State 2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Siena
Ohio State 2008 NIT First Round win over UNC-Asheville
Ohio State 2008 NIT Second Round win over California
Ohio State 2008 NIT Quarterfinal win over Dayton
Ohio State 2008 NIT Semifinal win over Mississippi
Ohio State 2008 NIT Final win over Massachusetts
Ohio State 2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Central Connecticut State
Ohio State 2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Xavier
Ohio State 2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee
Ohio State 2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Memphis
Ohio State 2007 NCAA National Semifinal win over Georgetown
Ohio State 2007 NCAA National Final loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
