Ohio State vs. Wichita State March 30 Free Pick
If you like two teams that like to get down in the mud and grind a game out, this one is for you. Ohio State. Wichita State. To go to the Final Four.
Free Pick
This one starts with the point guards. Senior Malcolm Armstead has been awesome in the Shockers’ Elite Eight
run. Aaron Craft is a different
animal for Armstead to deal with. Craft’s on-ball defense is as good as any guard in the nation. Wichita is a
little more predicated on ball movement than dribble-drive but if Craft can keep Armstead out of the lane the
Shockers are going to struggle to score against an OSU team that has physicality, size and defensive-ability at
every position.
DeShaun Thomas will likely see a combination of Carl Hall and Cleanthony Early. Hall is an excellent defender but is more accustomed to being down on the block where he uses a low center of gravity to bully opponents. He is versatile enough to be on the perimeter but he doesn’t excel there. If Thomas can take him off the bounce and break down the Wichita defense OSU should control this game. Early is a quicker and longer defender that Thomas will have more success against in the mid-post and on the block. Another thing to keep an eye on is who gets the better of the Ron Baker/Lenzelle Smith Jr. matchup. Both are capable outside shooters and are kind of x-factor type of players for their respective teams.
In the end I see this being a matchup of pretty similar teams in terms of what they want to do to win basketball games. Wichita State is a little more perimeter-oriented while Ohio State has more size and strength that is versatile enough to match up with teams that are guard heavy. I don’t like this matchup for the Shockers because there really isn’t one area on the floor they will be able to consistently attack. In a game like this that should be low scoring, the Buckeyes having a born scorer like DeShaun Thomas becomes incredibly important. Thomas may not necessarily be efficient but he doesn’t necessarily have to be, to be honest. Look for the shot making of Thomas to be the difference in a game that should be slow and hard-fought.