Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten (25-9, 10-8)
Ohio State started the 2013-2014 campaign with 15 straight wins. In retrospect the schedule was not that tough. Wins over Marquette, Notre Dame and Maryland were not as big of wins as they appeared at the time. The Buckeyes quickly fell to 15-4 and were back and forth between big wins and bad losses. This is a team that lost to Penn State twice, but followed up one of those losses with wins at Wisconsin and at Iowa.
Big Wins: 2/1 at Wisconsin (59-58), 2/4 at Iowa (76-69), 3/9 Michigan State (69-67)
Bad Losses: 1/29 Penn State (70-71), 2/27 at Penn State (63, 65), 3/2 at Indiana (64-72)
Coach: Thad Matta (10 seasons at Ohio State)
Why They Can Surprise:
Believe it or not, Ohio State allows fewer points per game than Wisconsin. The defense has disappeared on a few occasions in Big Ten play, but overall the unit has been impressive. It starts on the perimeter with Aaron Craft and Shannon Scott. Those two alone account for nearly five steals per game. And, of course, both play solid all-around defense. Craft is also a steady point guard who deserves much of the credit for Ohio State’s 13th best turnover margin in the nation. If the opposition manages to get into the paint, Amir Williams and Sam Thompson will swat away a few shots.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The defense will keep the Buckeyes in every game. Ohio State never lost a conference game by more than ten points, but the offense has to avoid long bouts of inefficiency. LaQuinton Ross and Lenzelle Smith have been the most consistent offensive threats, but can disappear when their shots are not falling. Somebody needs to attack the basket with more conviction on those occasions when Ohio State is struggling to score. Scoring 60 points is not going to cut it for a squad with Final Four hopes.
Probable Starters:
Aaron Craft, Senior, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.5 spg
Lenzelle Smith, Senior, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, 5.1 rpg
LaQuinton Ross, Junior, Forward, 15.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Sam Thompson, Junior, Forward, 7.6 ppg, 3.4 apg, 3.4 rpg
Amir Williams, Junior, Center, 8.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Amedeo Della Valle, Sophomore, Guard, 4.1 ppg
Marc Loving, Freshman, Forward, 4.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Trey McDonald, Junior, Center, 2.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Shannon Scott, Junior, Guard, 7.6 ppg, 3.4 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.0 (202nd in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.1 (7, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.1 (132, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.3 (38, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (191, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.4 (206, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.4 (187, 11)
Rebound Margin: -0.3 (198, 10)
Assists Per Game: 12.0 (229, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.0 (56, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Iona
2013 NCAA Third Round win over Iowa State
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Arizona
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Wichita State
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Loyola Maryland
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Gonzaga
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Cincinnati
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Syracuse
2012 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Kansas
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas-San Antonio
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over George Mason
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgia Tech
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Siena
2008 NIT First Round win over UNC-Asheville
2008 NIT Second Round win over California
2008 NIT Quarterfinal win over Dayton
2008 NIT Semifinal win over Mississippi
2008 NIT Final win over Massachusetts
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Central Connecticut State
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Xavier
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee
2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Memphis
2007 NCAA National Semifinal win over Georgetown
2007 NCAA National Final loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
