Sweet Sixteen: Ohio State vs. Cincinnati Preview

Mar 18, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Members of the Cincinnati Bearcats react to a late game score against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half in the third round of the 2012 NCAA men

As nice as it has been to brag about Ohio putting 4 teams into the Sweet Sixteen, it’s now time to focus on a matchup that will end the season and send home one of those teams.  The Bearcats of Cincinnati are an interesting team to meet in the tournament, because they play a 4 guard rotation, and also dominate many games in the paint.  The numerous guards help to provide them with tremendous speed and athleticism on the court, and their big man, Yancy Gates, is a beast underneath and can hold his own with most players in the country.  This is certainly going to be a tough game, and one that will likely resemble an OSU versus Michigan State game with a high level of physicality anytime a player gets near the paint.  Compound that with the fact that Cincinnati fans/students seem to think that Ohio State is the devil and will no doubt be pulling out all the stops to send their in-state enemies home to Columbus.

Regardless, these teams once battled for National Championships, so it’s nice to see them facing each other again in a very meaningful game.

Below are my positional breakdowns for this Sweet Sixteen matchup…

#1 Guard (Cashmere Wright vs. Aaron Craft)

Cashmere Wright (#1, 6′, 170 lbs), Cincinnati’s point guard, has struggled shooting the ball in the tournament, so far.  It’s hard to imagine those struggles improving when going up against the best on-ball defender in the country in Aaron Craft, but that’s what Wright will need to have happen in order to keep Cincy in this game.  In his first two March Madness games in 2012, Wright is 6-18 from the field and just 1-8 from behind the arc.  Craft, on the other hand, is 8-11 from the field in games against Loyola (MD) and Gonzaga. 

Wright, like the other Cincinnati players, plays aggressively on both sides of the ball, so Craft will likely appreciate the 5 days of rest that he got after the Gonzaga game, because Cashmere and Co. will likely use a lot of motion to keep OSU running and switching.  I don’t think that Aaron Craft will have the offensive output that he had against the Bulldogs, but should be close to 8-10 points.  Similarly, I think that Wright will have a handful of assists in Thursday’s game, but will be held to under 10 points against the Buckeyes.  Overall, I think this matchup is a push, since both players will produce close to their normal numbers. 

#2 Guard (Dion Dixon vs. Lenzelle Smith, Jr.)

Dion Dixon (#3, 6’3″, 195 lbs) will be a good matchup for Lenzelle Smith, Jr. because of his size and skill set.  Dixon is quick and has the ability to drive the lane and score in the blink of an eye, averaging 13.1 points per game.  However, he’s just an average shooter from the field (37%) and is allergic to the arc (26%).  Smith Jr. will need to be alert and active defensively, as Dixon and his teammates are quick off the dribble and able to drive and score against less athletic teams.  OSU will  need to prove that they are able to defend this and force the outside shot whenever possible.   

LSJ will need to make a shot here and there for the Bucks, move his feet and get into position on defense, and most importantly, grab rebounds!  Having such a good rebounder at our #2 spot could go a long way in keeping offensive possessions going and ending the Bearcats looks at the other end.  Once again, I think that both guards will be close to their averages, so I’ll push this matchup as well.

Mar 17, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard William Buford (44) shoots a free throw against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the third round of the 2012 NCAA men

#3 Guard (Jaquon Parker vs. William Buford)

Yancy Gates (#34, 6’9″, 260 lbs), as I mentioned above, is a monster in the paint.  When not suspended for 6 games for voilently suckerpunching people in the face during basketball games, Gates uses his giant frame to get and maintain good position under the basket.  Like many people, after I watched that clip of Gates knocking a player out cold in a bench-clearing brawl, I never wanted to hear his name, read about him playing ball, or see him on TV again, and yet here we are.  It’s nice to know that a player can be suspended for almost half of a football season for receiving free tattoos in exchange for his hard-earned trophies, and yet a thug that punches someone on the court and send them to the hospital will be allowed to play in 85% of his games in that season…but I digress.