Ohio State Basketball: Good first round matchup for the Buckeyes?

At first glance South Dakota State would appear to be a good matchup for the Ohio State basketball team. But a closer look makes you wonder.

The surprising Ohio State basketball team earned the No. 5 seed in the West region and is about to face 12th seeded South Dakota State in Boise, Idaho. The Buckeyes finished the season 24-8 and the Jackrabbits were 26-6 and it shapes up to be an interesting matchup. Is the draw a favorable one for the Buckeyes or not?

On the surface it would appear to be the ideal team for Ohio State to play after late season woes against Big Ten teams who were physical in the paint. South Dakota State only has two players on their roster listed at 6-9 and the other players are 6-6 or shorter.

But one of the Jackrabbits’ big guys may cause the Buckeyes some grief. Junior Mike Daum averaged 23.8 points per game and 10.4 rebounds this season.

And South Dakota State is an excellent shooting team overall. The Jackrabbits shoot 47 percent overall and 40 percent from behind the three-point line.

That could be a problem for the Buckeyes because of their tendencies this season.

Ohio State often gets off to a bad start and falls behind, sometimes by double digits. The Buckeyes also are prone to having a rough stretch when starters take a breather in the second half.

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They usually are able to overcome those bad stretches by ratcheting up the defense and holding the opposing team without a field goal for a significant period of time. That may be a difficult task against the Jackrabbits.

Their five leading scorers all shoot over 48 percent inside the three-point arc, and four of the five are hitting over 38 percent of their shots behind it. And they also hold onto the ball only committing 10 turnovers a game.

Often the NCAA tournament comes down to matchups, and it’s hard to say if this is a good one for Ohio State or not.

Sometimes the more athletic team, as the Buckeyes appear to be in this game, will overpower a smaller team. Other times the underdog will take care of the ball and shoot well nullifying any advantage the favorite might possess.

Next: March Madnes Is Here: Final Four predictions

The matchup with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits just has the feel of a big challenge for this Ohio State basketball team. After all, it’s March Madness and anything can happen.