No. 2 Ohio State (28-7) vs. No. 7 Gonzaga (26-6)
2:55 p.m. (approximate), CBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, Reggie Miller, Marty Snider (sideline)
Tournament history: None
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Last game: Defeated No. 15 Loyola (Md.), 78-59.
Coach: Thad Matta, eighth season (18-9 NCAA Tournament)
Shining star: Forward Deshaun Thomas had game highs of 31 points and 12 rebounds. He scored 13 points in a row for the Buckeyes during the second half.
Question mark: All-American forward Jared Sullinger shot only 4 of 14 from the floor and didn’t score after 5:53 remained in the first half.
On the line: Aaron Craft, a 70.8 percent foul shooter during the season, was 6 of 6 against Loyola (Md.)
Stat watch: Ohio State had an 11-6 record this season against 10 opponents that are in the NCAA Tournament field.
Coach speak: “I’ve always viewed Gonzaga as a top-20 program in the country because they’ve had the ability to sustain winning at the highest level. They’ve dominated their conference year in, year out.” – Matta, on Gonzaga’s sustained success as a mid-major.
Starting five
No. Name Ht. Pos. Ppg.
0 Jared Sullinger 6-9 F 17.4
1 Deshaun Thomas 6-7 F 15.8
4 Aaron Craft 6-2 G 8.6
32 Lenzelle Smith Jr. 6-4 G 6.1
44 William Buford 6-6 G 14.8
ABOUT GONZAGA
Last game: Defeated No. 10 West Virginia, 77-54
Coach: Mark Few, 13th season (14-12 NCAA Tournament)
Shining star: Guard Kevin Pangos scored 13 points to help put West Virginia in a 40-22 halftime hole.
Question mark: Guards Gary Bell Jr. and Pangos are both freshmen and will be facing their stiffest test of the season.
On the line: Gonzaga made 12 of 16 free throws against West Virginia. Bell, a 73.4 percent shooter, made 4 of 5.
Stat watch: The Bulldogs are 2-1 against No. 2 seeds, their only defeat coming against UCLA in 2006. The wins came in 1999 (Stanford) and 2000 (St. John’s).
Coach speak: “This is a really, really good team that a lot of people picked for the Final Four, to win a national championship. I’d rather play Wisconsin-Platteville.” – Few, on the Ohio State matchup.
Starting five
4 Kevin Pangos 6-1 G 13.8
5 Gary Bell Jr. 6-1 G 10.1
10 Guy Landry Edi 6-6 G 5.6
00 Robert Sacre 7-0 C 11.8
20 Elias Harris 6-7 F 13.0
– By Joe Rutter
