This Saturday the 2nd ranked Buckeyes will put their undefeated record on the line as they host the 13th ranked Kansas Jayhawks. It’s the matchup of the week as fans will get to see if Ohio State can beat a third opponent that is ranked in the top 15.
I think they’ve done very well so far. The Bucks have beaten the Gators by 7 and the Blue Devils by 22, two teams that were in the top 10. In both of those games OSU took the lead in the first half and then ran with it in the second. The Buckeyes are ranked 12th in the nation with points per game, 82. They’re also ranked 8th in field goal percentage.
These two areas are what makes it difficult for teams to stay in a close matchup with this team. If Kansas’s defense can’t get OSU to miss shots then they’ll have to convert a lot which they’re not as great at. They currently score 75 points a night and make only 47 percent of their shots.
Now don’t get me wrong. I think that Kansas has a shot to win but it’s not a great one. First their offense is going to have to get by Craft and Sullinger, Ohio State’s two best impact players on defense and offense. The Jayhawks will also have to make shots in the paint, that way they don’t have to take a lot of perimeter shots to stay in the game.
This might be another blow out but there’s only so long a team can go before they play a game that goes down to the wire. I’m hoping that this will be one of those games. I haven’t seen how the Buckeyes respond in high pressure situations and it could be a little preview for the Final Four Tournament in March. Wow, I’m already mentioning March Madness. I guess I’m too excited.
