Tennessee (27-8) vs. Ohio State (29-7)
Friday, March 26th, 7:07 p.m. (et)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Edward Jones Dome (39,647) -- St. Louis, Missouri. Television: CBS. NCAA Tournament Record: Tennessee 15-18, OSU 39-20. Series Record: Ohio State leads, 4-1.
GAME NOTES: For the second time in four years, Ohio State and Tennessee meet in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, as the second-seeded Buckeyes clash with the sixth-seeded Volunteers tonight at the Edward Jones Dome. The winner of this bout will meet the survivor of the Northern Iowa/Michigan State matchup in the Midwest Regional finals on Sunday.
These two clubs last met in the Big Dance in 2007, with the top-ranked Buckeyes capturing an 85-84 victory in the regional semifinals in San Antonio. OSU would go on to play for the national title that season. Overall, the Buckeyes own a 4-1 edge in the all-time series with Tennessee, which won the most recent meeting, 74-69, in 2008.
The Vols navigated their way to the program's third Sweet 16 appearance under head coach Bruce Pearl with wins over San Diego State (62-59) and Ohio University (83-68) in the first two rounds last week. This is the school's sixth all-time appearance in the regional semifinals and Tennessee has yet to move on past this round.
On the flip side, the Buckeyes took care of UC Santa Barbara (68-51) and Georgia Tech (75-66) in the first two stages and they have now won nine consecutive games. OSU is making its fifth appearance in the Sweet 16 and the school's first since reaching the championship game in 2007.
The Vols shot a blistering 56.7 percent from the floor and outscored Ohio in the paint, 58-12, as they notched an 83-68 win on Saturday. Tennessee also slowed down the Ohio attack, holding the Bobcats to just 37.9 percent shooting from the field. J.P. Prince, who had 15 points in the first round, scored 18 points to lead the way and Scotty Hopson tacked on 17. Wayne Chism and Brian Williams combined for 17 points and they each grabbed 12 caroms as well. On the season, Hopson paces Tennessee with 12.5 ppg and he also has 36 steals to his credit. Chism adds 12.7 ppg and a team-high 7.2 rpg for the Vols, who rely on a balanced attack.
Evan Turner rebounded from a poor performance by tallying 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a win over Georgia Tech on Sunday. Turner was also responsible for half of the team's 18 turnovers, but it was still a much better showing than his nine-point effort in the first round. Jon Diebler scored 20 points in the win over Georgia Tech, while David Lighty had 18 points and three assists. A Naismith Trophy candidate, Turner is the player that make this team go and he leads the squad with 20.0 ppg, 6.0 apg and 9.2 rpg. William Buford follows with 14.4 ppg and 3.1 apg, and he had 25 points in the first two rounds. Jon Diebler, who led the team with 23 points in the first round, averages 13.3 ppg for the season, and Lighty pitches in with 12.8 ppg and 2.9 apg.
The Buckeyes have a few more potent weapons to work with, including Turner obviously, and they should be able to make the big plays late in the game for the victory.
Predicted Outcome: Ohio State 75, Tennessee 66
Last edited by yoder12; 03/26/10 08:31 PM.
