Now we are on to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament and we will see the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Wichita State Shockers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The game is scheduled for a 7:05 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on CBS. Currently the Odds for the game have Ohio State favored by 4.5 points while the total sits at 131.
Analysis: The ninth-seeded Shockers, who finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference this season behind Creighton, began their journey in this tourney with a 73-55 triumph over Pittsburgh in the second round last week, followed by a 76-70 so-called upset of top-seeded and top-ranked Gonzaga, and then crushed La Salle on Thursday night in a 72-58 decision. Wichita State continues to win with a hard-nosed defense that allows only 60.7 PPG on 39.6% FG and 32.5% threes. In Thursday's win, it held La Salle to 22 first-half points and 35.7% shooting for the game. The Shockers dominated the Explorers on the glass with a 47-29 rebounding advantage, increasing their season margin to +8.1 RPG (7th-best in nation). The offense hasn't been great this season (69.8 PPG on 44.3% FG and 33.8% threes), but it has been clicking during the tournament with 73.7 PPG, including 19-of-40 threes (48%) over the past two games. The Shockers are able to stay fresh and hound opponents on defense because head coach Gregg Marshall gives 11 of his players at least 11 MPG. The three double-digit scorers are junior SF Cleanthony Early (13.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG) and seniors PF Carl Hall (12.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG) and PG Malcolm Armstead (10.8 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.8 RPG). Wichita State, one win shy of its first 30-win season, is seeking its first Final Four since 1965.
Ohio State has become accustomed to coming up with critical shots late in the NCAA Tournament in its quest for a second consecutive Final Four. For the second straight game, Ohio State drained a 3-pointer in the waning seconds to break a tie and advance. After Ohio State used a 3-pointer from Aaron Craft to break Iowa State’s heart on Sunday, LaQuinton Ross hit one to sink Arizona on Thursday. Ohio State usually relies on an outstanding defense, giving up only 59.1 PPG (24th in D-I) on 39.6% FG (41st in nation) this season. But it has been the offense that has put the Buckeyes one win away from the Final Four, averaging 82.0 PPG on 47.1% FG in the three NCAA wins, numbers much greater than their 70.3 PPG (100th in D-I) on 45.5% shooting for the season. OSU has been incredibly efficient in handling the basketball, averaging just 9.2 TOPG during its 11-game win streak, including 8.2 TOPG in the past five victories, turning the ball over 10 times or less in each of the five contests during this span. The Buckeyes are able to protect the basketball so well with two top-notch point guards in Aaron Craft (10.1 PPG, 4.7 APG) and Shannon Scott (4.9 PPG, 3.9 APG) who are the biggest reasons why the team commits just 10.5 TOPG (8th in nation). Scott's 3.11 Ast/TO ratio this season ranks second among all Division-I players, while Craft's 2.46 Ast/TO ratio is 24th-best in the nation. Craft hasn't made the best decisions late in the past two games with costly turnovers and missed free throws, but he did win last Sunday's Round of 32 contest with a three-pointer in the closing seconds. The bulk of the team's scoring belongs to junior PF Deshaun Thomas (19.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG), who has 22.0 PPG on 58% FG in the NCAA Tournament so far. He was also vital to his team's Final Four run last year, averaging 19.2 PPG and 7.6 RPG in the five tourney games. The Buckeyes are 8-2 all-time as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Pick: Im going to go with the Shockers in this one. I feel that their defense is too tough and this is just too many points to be giving this team. Ohio State has needed late game heroics the last 2 games and I feel their lck runs out in this one. Look for a "Shocking" outright upset by Wichita State here.
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College Basketball Free Picks: Wichita State vs Ohio State
What college basketball bettors need to know about Wichita State Shockers vs Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday (3/30/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Ken Thomson with Host Marco D'Angelo.