Buckeyes will get tested Saturday at Wisconsin

The Ohio St Buckeyes are the last undefeated team in the country. They have exceeded all college basketball handicappers expectations, and look as though they are a virtual lock to get a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. I personally feel that despite the fact that they haven’t lost a game, they are over-rated. Saturday’s match-up against Wisconsin will show myself and all of us if this team is as good as advertised.

An extremely soft pre-conference schedule was exactly what the doctor ordered for this Buckeyes squad. The confidence they gained through their first 13 games has given them the mental toughness to fight through tough games in which they aren’t playing their best. A win against an over-rated, but top-10 Florida team in the second game of the season was big for Ohio St.

Ranking 4th in the nation in field goal percentage usually translates to winning, but having their best players in the forward positions also gives them a tremendous edge defensively. Jared Sullinger is having a solid season for the Buckeyes with 18 points and over 10 rebounds per game. His counterpart David Lightly makes up the second half of what may be the best forward duo in the country. Sullinger’s 57% shooting from the field is nothing short of remarkable considering he get every teams best each time they take the floor. William Buford is the floor leader at guard and contributes 13.6 points and 3.3 assists to this well rounded offense. As well as they’ve played this season, it is very unlikely that they will finish the regular season without a loss.

The Wisconsin Badgers have 2 shots to take down Goliath in the next 7 games, and have just the type of team to do it. The Badgers win with defense! They have played 23 games thus far this year and have held 17 of their opponents to 60 points or less. This a remarkable number considering this is a time and age where teams like to get up and down the court in a hurry. The offensive side of the ball is where Wisky has their problems. They are 168th out of 346 teams in points scored, and 130th in field goal percentage. Somehow with those poor shooting numbers they have managed to navigate a difficult schedule with an 18-5 record.

Wisconsin is tremendous at the top of their scoring table, but their problem is the lack of depth off of the bench. John Leuer and Jordan Taylor are amongst the leading scorers in the Big-10, but the rest of their team doesn’t provide them the help they need to win at the end of ball games.

NCAA basketball experts know that the probability of navigating an entire season without a loss is tremendously difficult to do. That being said, it’s more than likely that the Buckeyes fall some where towards the finish line. Tune in Saturday to see if the Wisconsin Badgers are the team to end Ohio St’s perfect season.

Related posts:

1. Wisconsin has hands full against Sharp Shooting Belmont
2. Big Ten Top-25 Battle: Purdue vs. Wisconsin
3. Buckeyes & Boilermakers in Big-10 Top 25 Showdown
4. Round 2 Big Ten Heavyweights: Buckeyes v. Badgers
5. Marquette gets tested by Washington offense

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