Kentucky and Villanova may have gotten the No. 1 seeds, but don’t forget about another team of Wildcats. No. 2 seed Arizona, which has been absolutely amazing over its last dozen games, made a great start to the tournament with another 20-plus-point blowout. It was a total team effort from the Wildcats, with all five starters scoring in double figures.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, on the other hand, needed another amazing solo effort from freshman D’Angelo Russell to beat the VCU Rams in overtime. But can Russell single-handedly overcome the juggernaut that is Arizona in the Round of 32? Read on below for our complete preview of this matchup.
The tournament finally clicks into full gear this weekend. Get prepped for the best games of the round with our previews of Notre Dame vs. Butler and UCLA vs. UAB.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 2 Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes Preview
Where: Rose Garden, Portland
When: Saturday, March 21, 5:15 PM ET
Line: No. 2 Arizona Wildcats (-9) vs. No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes (+9) – view all March Madness lines
Betting on the Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats are just sweeping away all before them at the moment. The Pac-12 champions crushed No. 15 Texas Southern, 93-72, in their Round of 64 matchup. The Wildcats have now won 12 games in a row, with an average margin of victory of 22 points. Talk about dominance.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led all scorers with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Stanley Johnson had 22 as all the Wildcat starters scored at least 12 points. Arizona as a team shot 60 percent from the field, and was plus-16 in the rebounding battle.
The trio of Hollis-Jefferson, Johnson and Brandon Ashley has been terrific for the Wildcats during the tail-end of the season. Ashley had averaged 19 points in the five games prior to the tournament, while Hollis Jefferson has been a beast on the boards. He’s averaging 10 rebounds in his last three games.
But the key player for Arizona could be Johnson, who will likely be matched up with fellow NBA lottery prospect, D’Angelo Russell. Johnson, the team’s leading scorer at 14.1 points per game, should make Russell work on defense. And at 6-7, Johnson has the size and physicality to bother Russell and get him out of his offensive rhythm.
Even if they can’t completely shut down Russell, they can shut down everyone else with their smothering defense. That’s pretty much what they did with a much more efficient Oregon offense in the Pac-12 tournament final. Joseph Young had 19 points, but he needed 19 shots to get it. The rest of the Ducks had just 33 as Arizona romped to an easy 80-52 win.
Kentucky, Villanova or Arizona? Create a betting account now and let these dominant Wildcats win you some money during March Madness.
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes
For the nth time this season, D’Angelo Russell came to Ohio State’s rescue. The incredible freshman fired in 28 points to lead the Buckeyes to a gutsy 75-72 overtime win over VCU in the Round of 64. Russell has been on some kind of roll in March. He has gone for 28 points three times in six games this month.
Ohio State’s formula for victory this season has been a simple one: hope D’Angelo goes off. When Russell has scored over 20 points this season, the Buckeyes are 13-1; when he doesn’t, they’re 10-9. However, it’ll definitely be a challenge for Russell to score that many points against Arizona’s amazing defense, which is ranked behind only Virginia and Kentucky in adjusted defensive efficiency this season.
And as good as Russell has been, though, he didn’t have the greatest performances against the very best competition. He struggled against Louisville, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan State (twice), games which Ohio State unsurprisingly lost.
The Buckeyes could definitely use some added production from Sam Thompson and Marc Loving, their second and third-leading scorers. The two scored just five points total against VCU, well below their combined season average of 20 per game. Loving, in particular, has not been the same since being suspended for three games in early February. He’s averaging just four points in the last nine games.
Writer’s Prediction
Arizona keeps Russell in check as the Wildcats (-9) beat the Buckeyes by double-digits.
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