2013 NCAA Tournament Preview: No. 10 Iowa State vs. No. 2 Ohio State

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes are moving on to the next round and they dropped nearly 100 points in the process against the No. 15 Iona Gaels. The Buckeyes will play the No. 10 Iowa State Cyclones, who beat the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish with ease.

Ohio State had two players score in double digits in Deshaun Thomas–what a surprise–and Sam Thompson. Thomas had 24 points, while Thompson had 20. If the Buckeyes can get a second scorer that puts up big numbers besides Thomas, Ohio State could be very dangerous.

What to Watch For

How about Deshaun Thomas. Thomas has been so good this year when it comes to scoring the basketball. It doesn’t matter who is covering him, he is going to get his 20 or so points every game. Aaron Craft could play a pretty big role as well, considering that he is one of the best defending points guards in the nation.

The Cyclones’ two leading scorers did not come up big tonight, but Will Cybrum–the leading scorer for Iowa State–is definitely one to watch. He is putting up 15 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Prediction

If Iowa State can limit everyone on the court, other than Thomas, this could be a very close ballgame. However, Ohio State is known for its defense and it can easily be an opposing team’s worst nightmare. The Buckeyes are playing their best ball of the year right now. Iowa State is going to need another impressive performance against the Buckeyes, but it still may not be enough. However, only giving up 58 points to Notre Dame is still pretty impressive.

Ohio State 68 Iowa State 60