Ohio State vs Illinois: Jared Sullinger Will Expose Meyers Leonard

Jared Sullinger will prove Meyers Leonard isn't quite ready for the NBA Draft. The Illini seven-footer has been turning a few heads with his play this year, but he still lacks some of the qualities it takes to compete with elite bigs night in night out.

Leonard has played well this season, and because he is an athletic seven-footer, talk of him in the NBA draft has surfaced.

He will face the best post player in the conference and possibly the nation when Sullinger and the Buckeyes invade Assembly Hall.

Sullinger is an undersized PF, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in bulk and strength. Those are two traits Leonard lacks. He is moved off his base too easily by powerful post players, and plays off balance often. This is especially the case when double teams come while he's operating in the post.

Defensively, he does stand tall, without jumping, a la Omer Asik from the Chicago Bulls, but he lacks the lower body strength to deny a bull like Sullinger deep post position.

Leonard has very good footwork and a soft touch, but his strength and intensity on the boards and in defense need to improve. Here are a few examples of the pros and cons:

The Illini are always tough at home, but the Buckeyes are a superior team. They play lockdown defense, Sullinger and senior William Buford are a great inside-outside scoring attack.

In order for the Illini to pull the upset, they need Leonard to play big, as well as contributions from Brandon Paul and leading scorer D.J. Richardson.

The Bucks are coming off a huge win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa. They destroyed the Hawkeyes 76-47, behind 28 points from Sullinger.

Leonard and the Illini will certainly have their hands full. In the end, Sullinger and the Buckeyes will show Leonard and the Illini aren't quite ready for the big time.

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