NCAA Tournament Preview Continued...Ohio St.

Contender: Ohio St.
Right now the Buckeyes are my choice to win the National Championship.  They are the most complete and consistent team in the country with only two losses all season, both coming on the road to teams with undefeated home records.  Ohio St. features a Player of the Year candidate in Freshman Jared Sullinger, a man who should definitely be a top 5 pick in the NBA draft this year.  He came in to college a polished post player, and he's only getting better.  He reminds me a lot of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, who made the NBA All-Star team this season and currently leads the league in rebounding.  They both use their bodies extremely well to grab tons of rebounds, as well as establish great position in the post.  Like Love, Sullinger can also shoot from the outside (although he doesn't do it much), and he's a great team player.  No one in the country can stop this guy, but he also has plenty of help just in case.

Jared Sullinger

William Buford and David Lighty have been very good on the wings, and both have a chance to make it to the next level (I like Buford more).  They've bought in to the team system, and both are a threat to drive or hit the outside jumper.  Jon Diebler is the Big Ten all-time leader in 3-pt field goals made, and he's knocking down 47% of his 3's this season.  Freshman Aaron Craft has done a tremendous job running the team, and fellow freshman Deshaun Thomas provides a big lift on the bench.


My main concern if I was a Buckeye fan would be on the boards.  While they have one great rebounder in Jared Sullinger, they typically go with a smaller lineup and rank 208th in the nation on the glass.  Senior Dallas Lauderdale can provide some more size off the bench, but he's down to 17 minutes per game this season so head coach Thad Motta clearly favors the smaller lineup.  Lauderdale could end up playing a huge role in the tournament if Ohio St. is matched up against a big team that crashes the boards (think Pittsburgh or UNC).  Despite the lack of size inside, the Buckeyes have been the most consistent team all year long, and if the tournament started today they would most likely be my pick to win it all.