Records
Ohio State 20-13 (No. 11 seed), Houston 32-3 (No. 3 seed)
Broadcast, TV, Game Time
Date: Sunday, March 24
Game Time: 8:40 PM (approximately)
Venue: Bank of Oklahoma Center, Tulsa, OK
Network: TNT | You can also tune in online with FuboTV. (Try it for free)
Well look who’s crashing the party. Ohio State barely got into the NCAA Tournament, decided to mess around a little and found a way to knock off the No. 6 seed Iowa State Cyclones in round one.
Now, things ratchet up even more, as the Buckeyes must face a loaded Houston team that won the regular season American Athletic Conference title and only lost three games total all-year.
It’s a big challenge, but so was round one. Can the Buckeyes find a way to continue to overstay their welcome? We’ll see.
Let’s get to a preview and prediction for the game.
Next … The Ohio State Game Plan
Ohio State cliff notes game plan
Houston is a lot like Iowa State. The Cougars will spread things out and look to shoot from multiple spots on the floor or dribble drive to the basket in space. However, perhaps more than any other game, Ohio State owns a serious advantage in the paint as the Cougars focus almost all their offense around the great guard play it has.
Ohio State needs to bang it down low early and often and keep grinding away down on the blocks. Wesson should be able to do a lot of damage down there, and more than likely Houston will have to double down to try and stop him. When that happens, there will be open spot up shooters on the outside.
Defensively, much like the game against the Cyclones, defenders have to be very cognizant of the three-point arc. They can leave to help out, but can’t stray too far away for fear of leaving an easy look from outside.
If the Buckeyes can play solid defense, they should be able to win the battle on the boards and limit possessions.
Next … Key Player And Prediction
Key Player For Ohio State
Kaleb Wesson. It’s once again the big guy for Ohio State. He’ll have a significant size advantage on the blocks and should get a ton of opportunities to touch the ball get a slew of points. He needs to be effective, stay out of foul trouble and crash the glass. If he stays on the floor, there’s a good chance he gets a double-double in this one. If not, well, the Buckeye ship might sink Sunday night.
How It’ll All Go Down
I actually like this matchup for Ohio State. It has struggled against long and athletic teams more than any other type it’s seen, and that’s not Houston’s game. But the Cougars haven’t lost won thirty-two game for no reason. They have great guard play, and that’s going to make a difference in a game that’s going to be closer than many think. Houston pulls out a close one due to the veteran guards’ playmaking ability in crunch time.
Final Score
Houston 72, Ohio State 68
Line
Iowa State -5.5
