When the NCAA tournament field was revealed and Ohio State saw itself on the 10-line matchup up with seventh-seeded VCU in the second round, Buckeye fans' eyes immediately shifted to the game listed below.
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona (32-3, 16-2) | Moda Center | 5:15 p.m. ET | CBS |
The school that popped up was one Ohio State probably didn't want to see — Arizona was the No. 2 seed in the West Region. The Buckeyes knew if they got past the Rams, the Wildcats would likely be waiting for them in Portland for a third-round matchup.
And after a 75-72 win over VCU on Thursday, that's exactly where the Buckeyes are at as they face Arizona at 5:15 p.m. today with a place in the Sweet 16 on the line.
It's a familiar opponent for Ohio State, as the two schools met just two years ago in Los Angeles in the Sweet 16. Buckeye fans remember how that one turned out.
Alas, these are two totally different teams this time around. The Wildcats are the heavy favorites and the Buckeyes are the underdogs in a matchup that features two old friends, Thad Matta and Sean Miller, as head coaches.
Opponent Breakdown
Arizona is big, strong, fast and physical. The Wildcats very much look the part of a national championship contender.
Arizona enters today's matchup with a 32-3 record and cruised to both Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles. The Wildcats had a very strong case to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Alas, Arizona wound up as the No. 2 seed in the West Region.
The Wildcats do it with balance, too. All five starters average at least nine points per game with freshman wing Stanley Johnson leading the way at 14.1. Brandon Ashley (12.4 ppg.) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (11.3 ppg.) are the other two scorers who average in double figures and Gabe York comes off the bench and gives Arizona an additional 8.9 points per game.
The Wildcats have some serious size, too. Johnson, Hollis-Jefferson and Ashley are all at least 6-foot-7 and can guard multiple positions. Kaleb Tarczewski, who starts in the middle for Arizona, stands 7 feet tall.
“I went at them and challenged them to man up. We had to play tougher. I challenged them. To their credit, they did a great job of doing what we asked.”– Thad Matta
Point guard T.J. McConnell hasn't even been mentioned yet and he's a player who several coaches have referred to as "the head of the snake" this year for the Wildcats.
"You've got to be very, very intelligent in terms of what our game plan is and what we have to do to execute," Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said.
Arizona finds ways to put the ball in the basket. It put up 93 points in its second-round 21-point win over 15th-seeded Texas Southern and the Wildcats have scored at leas 90 points in three of their last six games.
In its victory over the Tigers in the second round, Arizona put all five of its starters in double figures. Hollis-Jefferson led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnson added 22 points. Ashley scored 14, Tarczewski had 13 and McConnell finished with 12 points, four assists, four rebounds and four steals.
It was complete and utter domination, just like it was supposed to be.
"We know they're a great team, we know that," Ohio State senior forward Sam Thompson said. "It's going to be a great matchup (today)."
Buckeye Breakdown
Ohio State wasn't perfect in its 75-72 overtime second-round against VCU, but the Buckeyes did what you have to do at this time of year: survive and advance.
Despite another slow start — Ohio State trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half against the Rams — the Buckeyes were able to cut their halftime deficit to just one. Matta made a late first-half switch to a 2-3 zone defense that really got Ohio State back into the game.
In the second half and overtime, it was the D'Angelo Russell Show. The freshman guard from Louisville scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the final 25 minutes as he carried the Buckeyes to a win. Amir Williams also scored 13 points and Jae'Sean Tate added 12. Shannon Scott scored nine points and dished out 10 assists and freshman Keita Bates-Diop, who hit two crucial 3-pointers for Ohio State.
"Being down 12 or whatever we were, we took the timeout. I went at them and challenged them to man up," Matta said following the game. "We had to play tougher. I challenged them. To their credit, they did a great job of doing what we asked.
The Buckeyes were able to find some success down the stretch against the Rams with their smaller lineup. That likely won't be an option against the longer, taller, more athletic Wildcats.
This means Ohio State's big guys — Williams and Trey McDonald — will have play key roles if the Buckeyes are going to stand any chance at pulling the upset.
How It'll Play Out
There's little doubt that, on paper, Arizona is the better team. But as the old saying goes, "That's why they play the game."
The Buckeyes know the challenge they have ahead of them. Arizona is a heavy favorite (the Wildcats are currently minus-9) and is a strong candidate to not only make the Final Four but to cut down the nets in Indianapolis as national champions.
For Ohio State to pull off the upset, it's going to have to play a near-perfect game. It can't fall behind double-digits in the first half, and it certainly can't go through one of the scoring droughts it has been known to experience. The Buckeyes went scoreless for nearly 6 minutes and 30 seconds in the first half against VCU.
None of those things can happen against the Wildcats — they're simply too good of a basketball team to overcome things like that.
Russell must be great for Ohio State. The Buckeyes will likely need at least 25 points from their superstar. Even then, 25 points won't beat Arizona, so somebody else is going to need to step up and chip in another 20 or so points.
Ohio State will also need to at least neutralize the Wildcats on the glass and limit their second-chance opportunities and hope Arizona has an off-shooting night. Basically, everything must go right for the Buckeyes and a lot of things must go wrong for the Wildcats.
"We know we have a great challenge (today) against Ohio State, who always seems to have a great team, always seems to be in this tournament advancing," Miller said. "We're expecting a great game tomorrow. ... I think we'll have to play better (than Thursday) to have a chance to beat Ohio State."
