Ohio State vs. Kansas: Jared Sullinger's Absence Won't Keep Bucks from a Win

Ohio State is more than a one-man team.

There's no doubt Jared Sullinger is the top player on the team, but the Buckeyes are not exactly left without talent in his absence. 

Even playing a team like Kansas, Ohio State will still win without Sullinger.

Kansas is good, but they are far too young to beat the Buckeyes. That doesn't mean they can't have spurts or even lead the game for a while, but Ohio State will ultimately be too much for them.

Even without Sullinger, Ohio State has two players who average more than 10 points a game. A third, Aaron Craft, averages 9.8. The bottom line is that Kansas is just too young to deal with a team with that kind of depth—at least right now. 

If the teams play at Allen Fieldhouse in a few months and Ohio State is missing Sullinger, then it would be a different story. At that point, this young Jayhawks team would be more accustomed to playing with each other and more likely to pull the win out. 

But as things stand right now, Ohio State is just too good up and down the roster. Note that Kansas' only two losses came at the hands of Duke and Kentucky. Those are the kind of teams they're going to play in the later rounds of the NCAA tournament. 

Ohio State is the same way. Yes, they lack Sullinger in this game, but they're still on that level of the teams that beat Kansas earlier in the year. 

At this point, the Jayhawks just rely too much on the duo of Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor. That's not a bad duo to depend on, but it's not good enough against the best teams in the country. 

Kansas will make progress through the year—actually, Kansas will make progress in this game. They are off to a great start against the Buckeyes.

It just won't last for the full 48 minutes. Eventually Ohio State's overall depth will wear Kansas down and pull the win out.

Follow Michael on Twitter.