NCAA Bracket 2011: 25 Reasons Why Ohio State Will Win the Tournament
Sometimes, the giant wins.
Just ask the Ohio State Buckeyes. Or, better yet, ask George Mason, who found themselves on the receiving end of a giant-sized boot last Sunday, courtesy of the red, white and gray.
Coming into the tourney, you wouldn't think there was much of an Ohio State bandwagon left to jump on. They were the number-one seed in the entire nation (not to mention their bracket region) and the consensus pick in Vegas to win it all.
Somehow, though, after their first two tournament games, a few hundred thousand more found a way to cram themselves aboard. In particular, their 32-point smearing of the Patriots seems to have left a psychological imprint. This was George Mason! The Hoosiers come to life! And Ohio State crushed them like a bug. It almost hurt my feelings.
I say "almost," though, because I picked the Buckeyes to win it all in my office pool. I would feel a lot better about that if half the office hadn't picked it with me, but hey, a correct pick is a correct pick.
Here are 25 reasons why, in two weeks' time, I think that pick will indeed prove correct, and the Buckeyes will be walking across the tarmac in Houston with pieces of twine in their hats.
25. Battle Tested
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They finished second in the nation in RPI. They played in a conference that, overall, had the second-highest RPI in the nation. They played eight games against ranked opponents.
It's safe to say the tournament won't show them anything they haven't seen before.
24. Fort Lauderdale
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Whenever you're shooting 73 percent from the floor, you're doing something right.
Admittedly, senior Dallas Lauderdale is not a major scoring option for this team, but he gets just enough dunks and putbacks to be a factor. He also does the dirty work that frees up Jared Sullinger to do his thing underneath. At 6'8" and 255 lbs., Lauderdale ensures that Sullinger isn't the only heavy load down low for the Buckeyes.
23. Keeping Down the Turnovers
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As a group, the Buckeyes only committed 346 turnovers this year, or 10.18 per game. That's good for 6th in the nation.
Ohio State may not be overly flashy with its ball-handling, but sometimes that's a good thing.
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22. They Seem to Like Each Other
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It may seem like an overly touchy-feely thing to say, but on a very human level, success always starts here.
Whether it's cavorting on the bench, providing the extra high five, or, uh "singing" together on YouTube, Ohio State gives every indication that they are a group of buddies, not just players.
21. DeShaun Thomas Sparks the Bench
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It's critical that the level of play stay high when your starters take a breather. All season long, freshman DeShaun Thomas has provided that buoy for the Buckeyes.
In 14.3 minutes per game, this versatile forward averages 7.7 points per game—that's almost a bucket a minute. And he does it with efficiency, hitting on 48.2 percent of his attempts.
20. Duke Is Beatable
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Duke can always pull something out. But even with Kyrie Irving, they're not exactly looking invulnerable.
If all goes according to chalk, OSU would face the Blue Devils in the Final Four. I believe the Buckeyes can overpower Duke's bigs, and bother their vaunted shooters along the perimeter.
Anything is possible when Duke is involved, but on paper this would seem to be a favorable matchup for Ohio State.
19. ...So Is Kansas
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Make no mistake: Kansas is stacked. And they are a juggernaut in this tournament. But if these two planets collide in the national title game, I think Ohio State can get the better of it.
The Morris boys are a force to be reckoned with, but Sullinger and Lauderdale can neutralize them. Assuming the game will come down to guard play, then, I think OSU's backcourt (and more on them as the slideshow develops) is a bit more balanced and productive than that of the Jayhawks.
18. ...and so Is Kentucky
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A great team, but with nowhere near the balance of Ohio State. The Wildcats lack a major and consistent post threat, and something tells me the Buckeyes may try to kind of sort of take advantage of that in their Sweet 16 matchup this Friday.
The Wildcats are no cake walk, but OSU could win this one by a safe margin.
17. Recruiting
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You can't have a good stable without the horses. Good thing, then, that Thad Matta and his staff have delivered the thoroughbreds in spades.
Remember Greg Oden? He was pretty good in college. After Oden, came Evan Turner. After Turner came Sullinger. Next year, the Buckeyes will welcome one of the nation's best recruiting classes, anchored by point guard Shannon Scott and center Amir Williams.
But that's another story for another day. As of now, OSU is seeing great payoff from their coaches' dogged legwork on the recruiting trail.
16. They Are Confident...
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OSU isn't afraid of a little trash talk, as evidenced by this story.
Why anyone would talk "ish" to Jared Sullinger is beyond me, but for the five or so asylum escapees who thought that was a good idea, this cautionary tale offers proof to the contrary.
Bottom line: The Buckeyes know they can play. And they want to crush you—just ask George Mason.
15. ...But Not Cocky
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I don't know the Buckeyes personally, but they seem about as grounded as they can be, given how good they are. Post game quotes always talk quietly of getting better, of staying hungry, of keeping one's eye on the prize.
Thad Matta is a wizard at always finding things to improve on. After the halftime whistle against George Mason -- at which point Ohio State had the Patriots doubled up, 52-26 -- Matta lamented his team's "slow start" in the courtside interview.
This group seems determined not to let all the accolades from the outside seep into their routine or dull their edge.
14. Rebounding Margin
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They are 26th in the nation in this category, grabbing 5 more rebounds per game than their opponents. Considering their opponents, that's not too shabby.
Sullinger leads the bunch with 10 boards a contest, but seven Buckeyes pull in at least three in every 40 minutes.
13. Honing Their Craft
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The Buckeyes' freshman point guard isn't going to wow you with his athleticism or shooting stroke, but he's the straw that stirs this drink, and a key part of Ohio State's identity as a scrappy and hard-working team, rather than just a talented collection of players.
Craft leads OSU with 5 assists per game, and is an efficient offensive performer who knows how to help the team. He shoots 47 percent from the floor, and his 2.24 assist-to-turnover ratio is a big reason the Buckeyes ranked fourth nationally in that category this year.
Even so, Craft's best work comes on the defensive end, where he led the Big 10 with 69 steals this season. If they kept stats on floor burns and number of hindered plays, he would probably lead in those categories, too.
This defensive gadfly will be tested Friday when he matches up with Brandon Knight, Kentucky's latest one-and-done point guard phenomenon. But if Craft can continue to just be himself--and it seems there's a good chance that he can—he should be up for the challenge.
12. Lighty the Way
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Sullinger gets most of the ink, but Lighty and the seniors are the team's heart and soul. The bread on which the overstuffed sandwich of greatness can be built. Or something like that.
Lighty is a Swiss Army knife for the Buckeyes. He is fourth on the team in scoring (12.1 ppg), third in rebounding (4.1), second in assists (3.3), second in steals (1.5), and third in three-point shooting (43.5).
Once the postseason started, Lighty kicked it to another level. In two games thus far, he is 12-15 from the floor, including an insane 9-10 from deep. He dropped 25 on George Mason, and didn't seem to be working overly hard to do it.
Beyond the stats, Lighty is the player-coach for the Buckeyes. He knows when to call timeout, when to prod his teammates and when to just plain old hit a shot. Plus, I don't think he's going to crack a smile until the team wins the championship. And no one wants to see Lighty go smile-less for the rest of his life.
11. from the Land of Deep
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They are third in the nation in three-point percentage, hitting 41.3 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. Though Jon Diebler undoubtedly leads the way, they have four guys who light it up at 37.5 percent or more.
10. Scoring
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Sometimes, it's just that simple.
Ohio State shoots 49.4 percent as a team, which is tied for second in the nation. They're 77.1 scoring average per game is in the top 20, and that's only because a lot of frankly inferior mid-majors are ahead of them. Unless you think OSU would lose to Lamar, there really aren't that many schools who do it better than the Buckeyes.
9. Scoring Margin
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Similar to, but a little different than, the previous statistic.
Not only does it mean scoring per se, it also means doing it consistently and doing it along with defense. It also shows a desire to, you know, suck out your opponent's soul, Dementor-style.
In any case, OSU leads the nation in this category, with an 18-point average margin of victory.
8. William Buford: The Not-so-Secret Weapon
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He may not grab a lot of national headlines, but you can be sure that opposing players and coaches know who he is. This steady junior is a critical cog in the Buckeye machine.
With 32 minutes a game this season, only Jon Diebler has logged more PT for OSU than Buford. The scoring guard ranks second on the team with 14.6 points a game, third on the team in rebounds with four, third on the team in assists with three and third on the team in three-point shooting with a 44.4 percent clip. Perhaps most notably, though, is his team-best 83.3 percent free-throw shooting.
Last season, Buford toiled in the shadow of superstar guard Evan Turner, but this year, Buford has developed into a rock-solid option on his own, helping to bolster the outside part of the Buckeyes inside-outside attack while bringing a slashing component to the offense. He scored in double figures in all but seven of OSU's games this year, so he has blossomed into a consistent contributor that opposing defenses must respect.
7. Thad Matta Is a Good Coach
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The Buckeyes' never-satisfied disposition flows directly from their general.
He's the first one to point out deficiencies, and doesn't mind doing so publicly as a way of tempering the glow from all those headlines. It can't be easy to keep young kids this talented trained on the here and now, but day in and day out, Matta gets it done.
6. the Threebler Elf
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You don't have inside-out games without the out. That's where Jon Diebler comes in.
Must be kinda nice to have the nation's best three-point shooter on your team.
Diebler finished tied for 4th in the country with a 50 percent shooting mark from deep, but had far more attempts (204) than anyone else in his vicinity. He also led in the nation in true shooting percentage with 73.1, which speaks to his high level of overall efficiency.
No way this team gets where it is without Diebler's lethal perimeter threat.
5. Jared Sullinger
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Back before video games got "smart," there were little glitches you could use to fool them. A favorite of mine was RBI Baseball—whenever the computer guys got a hit, they would keep running the bases until your guy actually picked up the ball. So you could throw the ball against the backstop and position your catcher two pixels away from the ball, then watch as Computer Wade Boggs blithely rounded second, then third and then you could easily pick them off at home.
I feel like Jared Sullinger is that glitch for Ohio State. You have to double him. And other teams know that, to be sure. When you're averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds for the best team in the country, and you're a player-of-the-year candidate, that kind of happens.
To have hands and feet like Sullinger's on a body that wide, and a determination and a will to win to match, well, it's downright Barkley-esque. And if you don't believe me, just ask the rest of the entire world.
4. Offensive Efficiency
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If every team is a machine, the Buckeyes must have a few Toyota grads in its ranks.
In fact, that model of corporate efficiency could take a page or two from OSU. This group always seems to make the right play. Or, perhaps more accurately, they never seem to make the wrong play.
Take a look at where Ohio State ranks nationally in a few of the stats that help reveal a team's efficiency:
- Tied for 2nd in FG percentage (49.4)
- 3rd in three-point percentage (41.3)
- Tied for 4th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.53)
- 5th in true shooting percentage (0.59)
- 3rd in efficient field goal percentage (0.57)
You get the idea. The Buckeye Machine is decidedly well-lubricated. The Six Sigma crowd would be proud.
3. Defensive Efficiency
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The streamlined nature of the Buckeye game is also apparent on the less-glamorous end of the court.
It's a point of pride for Coach Matta and his entire program. After winning the Big 10 tournament, Matta told The Columbus Dispatch that "you're probably going to have some nights where you don't shoot the ball as well as you'd like...but as we've talked all year long, we have to continue to play the defense we're capable of."
Here are a few more statistics; again, these are all nationally:
Defensive success can be difficult to gauge with numbers alone. So if you don't believe the data, believe the Buckeyes themselves. The next time you take in a game, notice how readily they communicate, how quickly they break through screens, how quickly their hands flash into the path of the ball. It's possible they work even harder on defense than they do when the ball is in their hands.
2. Their Patented Move
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It's the Stockton-to-Malone. The Abdul-Jabbar sky hook. You know it's coming, and you still can't stop it, no matter how many times they go to the well.
As with most can't-miss maneuvers, Ohio State's patented formula is very simple. First, dump it down to Sullinger. If they choose to stay on him man-to-man, he will likely score or get fouled. If they choose to double-team him, Sullinger kicks it out either to the open man, or to the man who can get it to the open man. The open man then hits an open shot.
Bang. Money in the bank.
Whenever you can run a play—at will—that is more likely than not to get you some points, you have a leg up on the competition.
1. Balance
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Four Buckeyes score at least 12 points per game. No regular player shoots under 45 percent.
This is an unselfish bunch, and they can play unselfishly because they have so many weapons. They pass it freely to the open man because they know that man can get the job done. If Diebler couldn't hit threes, for example, Sullinger wouldn't kick it out to him as much, and vice versa.
Each member of this team has earned the trust of the other. Any of them can kill you, and they know that. Just pick your poison.
That balance is what makes this team so hard to pin down, and to beat. It's not just one guy. It's all of them.
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