UT San Antonio moves on to face No. 1 Ohio State
Texas-San Antonio survived their first ever NCAA Tournament contest with a 70-61 victory over the Alabama State Hornets on Wednesday and will now set their sights on trying to pull off the biggest upset of the tourney as they face the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round on Friday in Cleveland.
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#16 Texas-San Antonio (20-13, 9-7 Southland) vs. #1 Ohio State (32-2, 16-2 Big Ten)
Date/Time: Friday, March 18, 4:00 PM ET
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Broadcast: TNT
Money Line: OFF
Spread: Ohio State -22
Over/Under: 125.5
It was a slow start for Melvin Johnson III Johnson as it took more than 12 minutes to score his first basket of the second half, a 3-pointer from the right wing that rolled softly through the net. This was not a problem, really, because he’d already netted 25 points before halftime.
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The 6-5 sophomore from Dallas actually recorded a career-best total with his effort in the first half, and finished the game with 29 points against the Hornets in the first-round play-in matchup, going 9-of-17 from the floor and trumping his season average of 14.8 points per game. He’d only produced seven prior 20-point games this season.
That outburst gave UTSA a lead that never would be seriously challenged as the Roadrunners subdued Alabama State for their 20th victory of the season.
Both teams shot well under 50 percent from the field as a team, and that’s certainly not going to get the job done against Ohio State. If UTSA wants to avoid being embarrassed in the first round, Johnson is going to have to put together a complete performance.
As for the Buckeyes, the No. 1 team in the land, the No. 1 team in the East Region, they are led by freshman Jared Sullinger who is averaging nearly a double-double each time out and is a candidate for the National Player of the Year award, and a magnificent starting cast.
The Buckeyes strength all year has been their balance and scoring ability, as well as a terrific blend of strong play on both the interior and perimeter as well as a nice mix of youth and experience.
Sullinger isn’t the Buckeyes only weapon as they can hurt you with David Lighty, Jon Diebler and William Buford knocking down threes and getting to the paint. Lighty, Diebler and Buford have combined to make over 200 3-point shots while shooting 46.5 percent from beyond the arc.
If that’s not enough, the Ohio State defense that is one of the stingiest in the nation and he is backed up by senior Dallas Lauderdale, who has blocked over 200 shots in his collegiate career.
The odds makers have the Ohio State Buckeyes as a -22 point favorite with an over/under of 125.5.
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Prediction: With great balance on both ends of the court, I have Ohio State going to the National Championship Game so you know who I’m going to pick here. Buckeyes win this won in a landslide.
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