Jared Sullinger: March Madness Predictions for the Ohio State Star

He is a wide body and a big boy. There is no denying his skill and his talent. And there is no denying that when he is on his game, everyone in the middle of the lane must take notice of Jared Sullinger. For that reason, Ohio State should be considered a very dangerous team.

At 6'9" and 260 pounds, he controls the middle of the lane like players before him such as Charles Barkley, Armon Gilliam and Danny Manning. With all his potential, Ohio State is hoping he will be better than anything Greg Oden gave them in the decade before.

Sullinger has a chance to show the nation he is the prototypical big man in college basketball. And with that, there will be an opportunity to turn many pro scouts' heads.

Ohio State has had its share of great big men and great players of the years. Sullinger is just one of them. But in order for him to be one of the elite, we need to see the same Sullinger that was as consistent as he was in the Big 10 Tournament.

Don`t let the final minute of the game against Michigan State be the deciding factor of this youngster's ability to be something special.

In many cases, especially in the first two rounds of this tournament, games are decided by guard play and the ability to find the open jump shot. The Buckeyes can use Sullinger inside to take advantage of his defense and then have opposing players collapse around him to open up easier shots

In the third round and beyond, Sullinger will need to insert himself as the focal point of the offense and the enforcer on the defensive side of the court. If he can do that like Pervis Ellison did at Louisville and Joakim Noah did at Florida, then this team and this player both have a chance to be very special.

For your printable bracket for the 2012 NCAA tournament, click here