Ohio State Basketball: 10 Bold Predictions for Jared Sullinger This Season

While fellow freshmen Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight getting plenty of accolades, Jared Sullinger was the most accomplished first-year player in college hoops last year. The Ohio State PF earned National Freshman of the Year honors while leading the Buckeyes to a 34-3 record.

Sullinger earned his recognition with averages of 17.2 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. For all his instant success though, there’s plenty left for Sullinger to accomplish before he’s done in Columbus.

Read on for a to-do list that Sullinger has a good chance to complete by season’s end.

10. Lead Another Championship Run in the Big Ten Tournament

The postseason experience Sullinger got last year will be turned to good account in the spring of 2012. With few top-tier competitors aside from Wisconsin, Sullinger will bring another conference tournament championship to Ohio State.

Big Ten powers like Michigan State and Purdue are down—though far from out—and the talented Buckeyes will take advantage.

Sullinger will be the deciding factor, with few teams in the Big Ten (or anywhere else) lucky enough to have a power forward who can defend him effectively.

9. Pull Down 20 Rebounds in a Game

Sullinger has already shown that he knows how to use his 6’9,” 280 pound frame on the glass. He’s a safe bet to hit the 20-rebound milestone at least, once in his sophomore season.

As a freshman, Sullinger pulled in 19 boards against South Carolina and 18 against Northwestern in OT. He’ll have an early chance to set a new career high against an inexperienced Florida frontcourt on Nov. 15.

8. Carry the Buckeyes to Another Big Ten Regular-Season Title

As a freshman, Sullinger led the Buckeyes to a sparkling 16-2 conference record. It’s hard to see him or the team taking any major steps back in 2011-12.

Even with the losses of David Lighty and Jon Diebler, the Buckeyes have plenty of perimeter weapons to complement Sullinger inside. He’ll anchor another Big Ten title winner this season.

7. Score 40 Points in a Big Ten Game

For his central role in the Buckeye offense last season, Sullinger reached 40 points in a game only once. After scoring exactly 40 against an overmatched IUPUI squad in December, he never topped 30 for the rest of the year.

Sullinger, already a great fundamental post player as a freshman, will be even tougher to contain with a year of experience. He’ll crack that 40-point barrier against a conference opponent—perhaps a green Penn State squad—this season.

6. Lead the Conference in Rebounding

After finishing in the national Top 20 in rebounding as a freshman, it’s only natural to expect Sullinger to move up in 2011-12. He should top his already impressive 10.1-board average from last year.

He'll have to if he wants to beat out the Big Ten’s defending rebounding leader, Minnesota senior Trevor Mbakwe, who had 10.5 rebounds a night. Still, a year of experience added to his immense talent and 280 pound frame gives Sullinger the edge.

5. Win the Big Ten Scoring Title

Although Sullinger’s 17.2 points a game weren’t a staggering total in a national context, they were magnified by playing in the physical Big Ten. Only Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor had a higher scoring average (18.1) among returning players in the conference.

Both Taylor and Sullinger will be under lots of pressure to carry their respective offenses in 2011-12, so the scoring title race should be a good one. Sullinger stands to improve more after his first year of college ball than Taylor does, going from his junior to his senior year.

4. Double His Blocked-Shot Total from 2010-11

One of the few obvious holes in Sullinger’s game last season was his unimpressive performance as a shot-blocker. The freshman totaled just 20 blocks on the season.

With Dallas Lauderdale no longer patrolling the paint, there will be more blocked shots to go around in Columbus this season. Expect Sullinger to record at least twice as many rejections as he did last year.

3. Lead Ohio State to the Final Four

One of the few shortcomings of Sullinger’s freshman season was a disappointing NCAA tournament exit in the Sweet 16. This time around, he’ll lead the Buckeyes to much greater heights.

With a year of experience for both himself and supporting players like Aaron Craft, Sullinger will be in a better position to contend with high-level tournament opponents. Expect Sullinger to carry OSU to the Final Four this March.

2. Win Both the Naismith and Wooden Awards

After winning National Freshman of the Year honors, Sullinger is on the shortlist for every major award this season. The preseason All-American should end the postseason with an impressive collection of hardware.

Winning both of the major player-of-the-year prizes won’t be a shoo-in, as North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes and Kentucky’s Terrence Jones will likely put up a significant fight.

Even so, Sullinger has the right combination of individual talent and preeminence on his own team to take home both trophies.

1. Return to Columbus for His Junior Year

As good as Sullinger and the Buckeyes are, North Carolina has so much talent that it will be a surprise if any team other than the Tar Heels wins the national title this season. For that reason above anything else, Sullinger will stay on campus for his junior year.

The fact that Sullinger didn’t join last June’s very thin draft class suggests that he’s got some investment in the college game for its own sake. Look for him to come back in 2012-13 to lead the Buckeyes to a national title.