Tag Archives: Jared Sullinger

>Ohio State-Penn State

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>Ohio State at Penn State

   The Buckeyes can secure at least a share of the conference crown with a 15th straight win over the Nittany Lions on Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.  Although the Buckeyes have won five straight on the road over Penn State and 14 consecutive overall matchups, they have lost their last two games outside of Columbus. Penn State has also knocked off three ranked teams at home this season and if it wasn’t for a Jared Sullinger three-point play with 13 seconds left, they would have defeated the Buckeyes in their first meeting.

   After setting the college basketball world afire, Sullinger has slowed down in the past four games, scoring 12 or fewer points in three of the past four.  Those 12 points are five below his season average of 17.4.  He failed to make a field goal for the first time in his collegiate career Sunday against Indiana.  Luckily for Ohio State, Sullinger is not the only big contributor on the team.  William Buford (14 ppg, 4 rpg), David Lighty (13 ppg, 4 rpg), Jon Dielbler (11 ppg) and Aaron Craft (7 ppg, 4.6 apg) all play huge roles for the Buckeyes.

    Penn State is looking for a way to build its NCAA Tournament resume and a win against the top-ranked team in the nation would do wonders.  The team is led by sensational senior guard Talor Battle, who is putting up 20.5 ppg, 4 rpg and three apg.  He has been outstanding at home recently, averaging 24.8 points and shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range in his last six at the Bryce Jordan Center.

   But like Ohio State and Sullinger, Penn State has multiple options.  Jeff Brooks is averaging 13.6 ppg and  a team high 6.6 rpg, while David Jackson is putting up 10 ppg and nearly five rpg.  Prediction: Penn State keeps it close, but Ohio State wins 70-67

>Michigan State vs, Ohio State

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>Raise your hand if at the beginning of the season you thought Michigan State would have a 6-6 conference record and only a 14-10 record overall.  Ok, you’re a liar so put your hand down, but that has been the craziness of this years’ college basketball season.  Michigan State has been struggling like nobody’s business the last seven games, losing five of them and eeking out a one-point overtime win at Indiana.  The Spartans were expected to challenge the Buckeyes for the conference crown, if not win it themselves. 

Michigan State is led by three players who are averaging double digits this year.  Kalin Lucas leads the team with 16 ppg and is averaging 3.5 assists per game.  Durrell Summers is putting up 13 ppg and over four rebounds per game.  Draymond Green is averaging 13 points per game and leads the team in rebounding, with just over eight per contest.

Ohio State is coming off of its first loss of the season, a road loss at Wisconsin.  The dreams of recreating what the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers did — the most recent Division I-A team to go through a season unbeaten — were vaporized by the Badgers’ scalding shooting in the second half.

The Buckeyes are led by stud freshman Jared Sullinger, who has probably exceeded everyone’s expectations, maybe even his own.  He leads the squad with 18 ppg and over 10 boards per game.  But he is not the only OSU player putting up big numbers.  Three others (David Lighty, William Buford and Jon Diebler) also average double figures, but none like Sullinger.  Buford puts up nearly 14 ppg, Lighty with 12 and Diebler, 11.  Prediction: Buckeyes win big 80-65