2012年4月1日日曜日

Ohio State vs. Kansas: Power Ranking Top Players in Final Four Battle

Tonight's Final Four showdown between Ohio State and Kansas will feature some of the best young basketball players on the planet.

From cerebral point guards, to bruising big men, to lethal scorers on the wing, this game is practically oozing talent. With a spot in the national title game on the line, look for these five players to step up tonight.

 

5. Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State

Thomas, the 6-foot-7, 225 pound sophomore is a matchup nightmare for the Jayhawks. Nobody on their roster can handle his unique combination of size, quickness and shooting ability.

Thomas has been dominant in the tournament thus far, putting up 21.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field. Judging by his performance against Kansas in their first meeting (19 points, 5 rebounds), he shouldn't experience much of a drop-off tonight.

With these two teams evenly matched at most positions, look for Thomas to be the X-factor.

 

4. Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas

The explosive point guard busted out of his shooting slump at the perfect time, scoring 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting to lead Kansas past UNC in the Elite Eight. He also added six rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Tonight, Kansas will need a similar performance from him. He must score efficiently, while also keeping his teammates involved. Most importantly, he has to take care of the ball.

He had seven turnovers in the first meeting with Ohio State. With Jared Sullinger in the lineup this time around, that isn't going to cut it.

 

3. Aaron Craft, Ohio State

Craft isn't the best player on the Buckeyes, but he's definitely the most important.

The scrappy point guard sets the tone on both ends of the floor, as he orchestrates Ohio State's offense and dominates games with his pressure defense. Craft is one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, as evidenced by his Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award.

If he can frustrate Taylor into turnovers and disrupt the flow of the Jayhawks offense, Ohio State will advance.

 

2. Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

The big man was absent when the two teams met in December, so you can expect a very different game tonight.

Sullinger leads the Buckeyes in points (17.6) and rebounds per game (9.1), while shooting over 53 percent from the field. In his last three games, he's stepped up his scoring production, scoring 20 points per contest on 61.2 percent shooting.

He'll have his hands full with Thomas Robinson tonight, but with NBA Draft stock and a championship game berth on the line, I'm expecting him to step up.

 

1. Thomas Robinson, Kansas

Robinson dominated the Sullinger-less Buckeyes in the first meeting, hitting 7-of-9 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws on his way to 21 points. Of course, his job will be a little harder this time around.

Still, I'm expecting Robinson to put up some big numbers tonight. He's averaging 15.7 points and 12.5 rebounds in the tournament, and if he would have grabbed one more board against UNC, he'd have a double-double in every tournament game.

If Kansas is going to advance, they'll need a monster game from Robinson. Based on what he's done all season, I won't be surprised if he puts the Jayhawks on his shoulders and carries them to the title game.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1127045-kansas-vs-ohio-state-power-ranking-top-players-in-final-four-battle

Curtis Granderson Nick Johnson Javier Lopez Alex Hinshaw Ramon Ramirez Sergio Romo

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