Ohio State (4-2) will come to Indy with consecutive losses to Top 25 teams, 70-47 against No.9 Texas A&M and 66-55 to No.1 North Carolina. Don't let the latter score fool you. The Buckeyes didn't have a great game against the Tar Heels. They managed to put together some quick rallies to pull within striking distance, but ultimately they couldn't consistently score. I'm sure Carolina's big men had something to do with this, which worries me for the Butler game.
Kosta Koufos played two very average games against these opponents scoring 10 with five rebounds against the Aggies, while the team shot 24 percent from the field with four three pointers in 19 tries. Koufos netted four points with three rebounds in the Buckeyes' home game against the Heels. The team shot 27 percent from the field with 10 three pointers in 33 attempts.
Jon Diebler emerged in that game however. After a lackluster start to the season, he scored 19 points, but it took him 14 tries to make five three pointers. So, he's far from hot right now.
Jamar Butler continues to be the heart and soul of the OSU offense. So, shutting him down my lead to a shut down of the Buckeyes. Koufos may bounce back against the smaller Bulldogs, but he's far from dominant right now. And, Diebler is anything but lights out. Thad Matta may not have anyone else to turn to besides Butler in Saturday's game, and hopefully it's our Butler doing all the scoring.
So, if we can compensate for our height disadvantage, the Dawgs should put another mark in the win column. They have a very explosive offense that can mercilessly hurt their opponents from beyond the arc, and have established a post game with Matt Howard and Drew Streicher along with A.J. Graves and Mike Green's ability to penetrate the paint.
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