Will Turner be the much needed triple threat?
 Ohio State
20-9, 10-8 Big Ten
Roster | Schedule
|
March 13, 2009 2:25 PM ET - ESPN —— Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
 Wisconsin
19-11, 10-8 Big Ten
Roster | Schedule
|
The higher seeds sailed through the first round yesterday, setting up what should be a great day of Big Ten basketball, as the top 8 teams battle for the automatic bid.
Ohio State is 5-2 in their last 3 conference tournaments, going to the finals in 2006 and 2007. They were the 5 seed last year as well, falling to Michigan State 67-60 in the first round.
Wisconsin is 10-5 in the tourney under Bo Ryan, taking home the title last year and appearing in 4 of the last 5 championship games.
| # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST | POS | # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | PJ Hill | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | G | 12 | Jason Bohannon | 10.2 | 3.1 | 1.7 |
| 33 | Jon Diebler | 11.2 | 3.4 | 2.5 | G | 3 | Trevon Hughes | 11.9 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| 21 | Evan Turner | 16.8 | 6.9 | 3.9 | F | 1 | Marcus Landry | 12.7 | 4.5 | 1.7 |
| 44 | William Buford | 11.1 | 3.5 | 1.1 | F | 45 | Joe Krabbenhoft | 8.8 | 6.7 | 2.6 |
| 52 | Dallas Lauderdale | 4.4 | 3.6 | 0.2 | C | 30 | Jon Leuer | 9.2 | 3.9 | 0.8 |
Opponent
The Badgers come in scoring 63.3 points a game in league play, while holding opponents to 58.4 points. Their defense has clamped down since their 6 game skid in January, allowing more than 30 points in a half just twice over the last 9 games. Whisky shoots 44 percent from the floor, while defending at the same clip.
Of course Wisconsin took down OSU, 55-50 a few weeks ago at the Kohl Center, a game that featured 8 ties and 17 lead changes. The Badgers bullied the Bucks inside, to the tune of 15 offensive boards and 17 more shots, but their is no doubt the Buckeyes could have pulled it out.
Bo Ryan will stick to close to a 7 man rotation, playing 4 of his starters over 30 minutes and bringing in Tim Jarmusz and Jordan Taylor off the bench. The Badgers have balanced scoring, but as Bucky's 5th Quarter points out, none of them are game ending go to guys, leading him to fear a 59-57 Buckeye upset over his Badgers.
Buckeye Breakdown:
I know some of you don't give this team much of a chance, because of their youth, inconsistency and the fact none of the players have a B10 tournament win. But Thad is one hell of a tournament coach and Evan Turner is the league's best player, a perfect combination for a 3 day run.
Turner went for 23 against the Badgers the first time around and any type of help from his teammates in the second half would have lead to a victory. Remember, Diebler and Simmons combined for 2 points the entire game, while Buford, Lauderdale and Mullens had just 5 points in the second.
I discussed yesterday what the Bucks must do in order to have a chance for the win. Anything can happen this time of year and I hesitate to make a prediction, but every time I think about this game and this tournament, a dominate Evan Turner keeps coming to mind. Something tells me he is going to put on a show, so get your popcorn.
Etc
- Brent, Slick Steve and Erin Paigeviews are doing the telecast.
- Eric Wallace (DePaul) and Anthony Crater (USF) transferred to schools that went a combined 4-32 in Big East play.
