NCAA Sweet 16: (2) Ohio State vs. (6) Tennessee

• devil1197

  Ahh the OSU is facing a mis match again posts. I thought GT was going to exploit us with their size down low, get us in foul trouble, and their athleticism was going to take over?
  
  OSU is the better team and will win. OSU just shoots the ball too good and teams cannot defend OSU without giving up wide open shots to great shooters.
• slingshot4ever

  Hopefully the bucks can pull it out.
• osu45804

  

  Friday 7:07 Tip off
• big_hits24

  Turner still turns the ball over way too much for how good of a player he is and for a possible NPOY. He, along with the other guards need to take a lot better care of the ball against TENN. The guys should be well rested and ready to go for Friday. Should be an exciting one!
• norwalk

  Well I agree that Turner turns the ball over too much, keep in mind he has the ball in his hands at all times and he's not a true point guard. Has never played point guard and really controls the game pretty well for a non-point guard.
  
  He's sloppy good / great.
• Mulva

  

  cats gone wild wrote:
  Tenn definitely has more depth then OSU, and you cant get around that. If I remember correctly, didnt Tenn beat Kansas with star players suspended? Obviously someone must of stepped up.

  I never said they didn't have more depth. Weak depth is obviously better than no depth, but I really don't see Tennessee's ability to get 8-10 minutes from one or 2 bench warmers whose basic duties are hustle and don't screw things up being the difference in the game.
• big_hits24

  I think OSU's starting 5 along with Madsen can hang with Tennessee's 8-10 players and maybe do more than hang with them...Beat them.
• golf4life2008

  3 Big 10 teams in the Sweet 16 is pretty awesome! Only 2 Big East Teams left right?
  
  I think OSU beats Tennessee. We have too many scorers for them! Think about it... Ohio State has 4 legit scorers. How many other teams have that?
• mallymal614

  The Vols fans are overly confident
  

  Ohio State is overrated. They are a product of the ESPN hype machine.
  
  If you look at their resume they only have a few good wins and it took a miracle shot for them to beat a horrible Michigan team in the big ten tourney.

  i really like UT in this matchup... wayne and brian should have a field day inside... the key will be how well JP can guard evan turner.... if he plays to his potential defensively i think tennessee really has a great shot

  I don't think Ohio State could score 50 on us. Just guard Deibler and harass the hell out of Turner and they have no other answer.

  http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-vols-basketball/
• Cleveland Buck

  

  I don't think Ohio State could score 50 on us. Just guard Deibler and harass the hell out of Turner and they have no other answer.

  This is pretty much correct though. They have every reason to be confident.
• centralbucksfan

  cats gone wild wrote:

  Mulva wrote: Tennessee doesn't have all that much depth either at this point. When Steven Pearl is your 8th man you aren't real deep.

  Tenn definitely has more depth then OSU, and you cant get around that. If I remember correctly, didnt Tenn beat Kansas with star players suspended? Obviously someone must of stepped up.
  
  Tenn has 8 players averaging over 5 points while OSU has 5 players over 5 points.

  LOL...and that depth has really hurt OSU this year. With Turner in the lineup, they are 22-4. Get over the depth...it has NO affect whatsoever with OSU. GT was deep, big, and athletic. OSU has answered every kind of lineup they have faced. This OSU team is BETTER then most think they are.
  
  And whats with all the matchup bullshit as well from people? OSU, as evident yet again today...is a tougher matchup with their 4 guard lineup then the other way around. OSU is holding their on on the boards and defensively as well. Matta had great game plan using the zone today to stuff the inside. And Lauderdale is a pretty darn good defender in the post.
• Cleveland Buck

  

  Ohio State is 26-4 with Turner in the lineup.
• Azubuike24

  

  Tennessee goes 10-11 deep. Pearl is only in there because he's a veteran and his father trusts him more than most. Woolridge, Bone and Goins are all far more talented.
• chicago510

  

  Cleveland Buck wrote:

  I don't think Ohio State could score 50 on us. Just guard Deibler and harass the hell out of Turner and they have no other answer.

  This is pretty much correct though. They have every reason to be confident.

  Yeah Lighty's a scrub with no experience, and Buford sure as hell can't create or finish. And its so easy to guard Diebler when OSU has 3 other explosive guards who can penetrate and finish or kick.
  
  There's a reason they average 74 a game, they have 4 guys who avg 14+, TENN doesn't have a single guy who gets more than 12.5 per game
• rugbywrestler

  Cleveland Buck wrote:

  I don't think Ohio State could score 50 on us. Just guard Deibler and harass the hell out of Turner and they have no other answer.

  This is pretty much correct though. They have every reason to be confident.

  I hope youre not too serious, first of all doing both of those things is crazy hard and even if they can shut down diebs and turner, these two guys named bufford and lighty are pretty capable of going off for 20 each
• centralbucksfan

  Here is the bottom line, even to the haters (S&L, Cats), OSU is the better team, period. They have the best player in the country. If they play well, and Tenn plays well...OSU wins. Tenn will have to play as well as they can, and OSU will have to be off their game a bit for Tenn to win. Like it or not...thats the truth. Tenn is certainly good enough..not saying they are not. But hings will have to go their way. Call me bias, but this OSU team is better then I even give them credit for. They are experienced, unselfish and unflappable. Nothing rattles them one way or the other. They are a confident bunch who play very well together.
• osu45804

  

  The spread is OSU -4.5
• SportsAndLady

  

  centralbucksfan wrote: Here is the bottom line, even to the haters (S&L, Cats), OSU is the better team, period. They have the best player in the country. If they play well, and Tenn plays well...OSU wins. Tenn will have to play as well as they can, and OSU will have to be off their game a bit for Tenn to win. Like it or not...thats the truth.

  When have I ever hated on OSU? Because I picked Tennessee to win, I'm a hater?
  
  And believe it or not, if Tennessee plays to their fullest, and OSU plays to their fullest, Tennessee is the better team...they proved that with wins against #1 Kansas and #2 Kentucky.
• Azubuike24

  

  Tennessee also played a full-strength Purdue team to a 1-point loss on a neutral floor. I know OSU split with Purdue, but I think it's accurate to say that when UT plays their best, they are as good as anyone in the country.
  
  So I don't buy the both teams playing their best, OSU is better argument. I think the spread and OSU being the favorite indicates that UT plays to their best far less than they could, and OSU is a lot more consistent.
  
  This could be an OSU 15-point win or a game where Tennessee whips them for 40 minutes.
• centralbucksfan

  Azubuike24 wrote: Tennessee also played a full-strength Purdue team to a 1-point loss on a neutral floor. I know OSU split with Purdue, but I think it's accurate to say that when UT plays their best, they are as good as anyone in the country.
  
  So I don't buy the both teams playing their best, OSU is better argument. I think the spread and OSU being the favorite indicates that UT plays to their best far less than they could, and OSU is a lot more consistent.
  
  This could be an OSU 15-point win or a game where Tennessee whips them for 40 minutes.

  You don't buy the if both teams play their best, OSU wins? Why? You actually believe Tenn is better? If so, your SEC bias is coming out. There is NO basis to that statement. Thats like saying OSU football was better then Fla and Bama last year. When in fact, they were not.
  When has OSU been whipped this season? They haven't. They were in every game. Why? Turner. The guy will keep OSU in a game no matter whats going on. One thing is for certain...Tenn won't blow OSU out. I don't think OSU will blow them out either...but OSU has a much better chance of winning by double digits then Tenn does.
• centralbucksfan

  SportsAndLady wrote:

  centralbucksfan wrote: Here is the bottom line, even to the haters (S&L, Cats), OSU is the better team, period. They have the best player in the country. If they play well, and Tenn plays well...OSU wins. Tenn will have to play as well as they can, and OSU will have to be off their game a bit for Tenn to win. Like it or not...thats the truth.

  When have I ever hated on OSU? Because I picked Tennessee to win, I'm a hater?
  
  And believe it or not, if Tennessee plays to their fullest, and OSU plays to their fullest, Tennessee is the better team...they proved that with wins against #1 Kansas and #2 Kentucky.

  Tenn the better team? Ya, whatever.....thats laughable. They are in fact, NOT THE better team. Capable of winning...yes. Better? No.
• Azubuike24

  

  When I say whipped, I mean a game where UT played their style and controlled the game since the beginning. I don't think it is a blow out either way. I'm just portraying how the feeling of the game could turn out when it's over.
  
  We could either be sitting here and seeing clearly who was the more disciplined and better executing team, or many OSU fans could sit there and wonder why Tennessee is a #6 seed when they can play like a Final Four team. That is what I meant.
  
  I think it will be a battle, just like the 3 other OSU/UT games in the past 4 years.
• Cleveland Buck

  

  rugbywrestler wrote:

  Cleveland Buck wrote:

  I don't think Ohio State could score 50 on us. Just guard Deibler and harass the hell out of Turner and they have no other answer.

  This is pretty much correct though. They have every reason to be confident.

  I hope youre not too serious, first of all doing both of those things is crazy hard and even if they can shut down diebs and turner, these two guys named bufford and lighty are pretty capable of going off for 20 each

  Lighty and Buford are nice role players, but if they take away Turner and open shots for Diebler, I would be scared to death waiting for Lighty or Buford to try and create something all game long.
• SportsAndLady

  

  centralbucksfan wrote:They are in fact, NOT THE better team

  Oh really? where's the facts then? lol
• Azubuike24

  

  Tennessee, at their best, beat the 2 teams this year who were regarded as the best in the country. They also played Purdue to a 1-point game on a neutral floor.
  
  I don't know why anyone would think if the UT team who beat Kansas and Kentucky shows up that they aren't better than Ohio State on a "normal" day.
  
  I'm not making any predictions, but I will say that if that UT team shows up, OSU is in trouble.
  
  Then again, it's far more likely that the UT team who just got educated by UK 9 days ago in Nashville shows up and Ohio State rolls like they have in the first 2 rounds.
  
  That's all I'm saying. I can't wait for the game on Friday.