SB Nation NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament 2011 -- Sweet 16
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Brandon Knight went 3-10 from the field and scored only 9 points. But two of those nine happened with 5.5 seconds left on a jump shot that gave Kentucky a 62-60 lead. The Wildcats held on and upset the top-seeded Buckeyes and advanced to the Elite 8.
The Ohio State vs. Kentucky matchup promised to be the best of the entire Sweet 16, and so far, it has lived up to the hype. Both teams have made runs, but after 20 minutes of play, the two teams are tied at 30.
It's been the two big men leading the charge. Jared Sullinger has 10 points and seven rebounds, setting mean screens and throwing his body around even though he has missed several shots inside. His Kentucky counterpart, though, has been even better. Josh Harrellson has 12 points and seven rebounds to lead the Wildcats, hitting 6-8 from the field.
Kentucky has held Ohio State to just 31 percent shooting from the field, but the Buckeyes made that up by getting to the free-throw line 14 times, converting 12 times.
More 2011 March Madness resources: Visit our NCAA Tournament hub for up-to-date news and information ... updated printable NCAA Tournament bracket.
Check the full NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 schedule, and see predictions and previews for each game.
Ohio State vs. Kentucky: it's the premier showdown of the Sweet 16 and could be the best game of the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket so far. But what should we expect when the Jared Sullinger-led Buckeyes meet Brandon Knight and the Wildcats? We'll find out at 9:45 p.m. Friday from Newark, according to the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, and Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will have the call on CBS.
Ohio State's looking more and more like the eventual national champion. The Buckeyes were dominant against George Mason, clobbering the Patriots by 32, and only because the insertion of reserves helped dam a torrent of threes. If David Lighty and Jon Diebler are both hot in the same game, it's nearly impossible to beat Ohio State; if those two and Sullinger are playing well, it's going to take Herculean effort to take down the Buckeyes.
Kentucky has length that should worry Buckeyes shooters, but asking Terrence Jones and Josh Harrellson to stop Sullinger is a fool's errand. Kentucky's best hope is in its shooting: Knight has a very good stroke (38.4% from deep), but Darius Miller (46.9%) and Doron Lamb (44.6%) are both at another level entirely, and DeAndre Liggins (40.7%) is no slouch. Heck, even Jones' "No, no, no ... YES!" threes have gone in over 30% of the time. If Kentucky can establish enough of an inside presence to kick to open shooters, Big Blue has a chance to take down the No. 1 overall seed.
Star Watch: Knight is the key to that plan, though. He was virtually invisible against Princeton (two points, though they came on the game-winner) and unmissable against West Virginia (a career-high 30 points). Should he be able to beat Aaron Craft or whoever the Buckeyes throw on him, Kentucky's going to have ample opportunity to topple the titan.
Prediction: Talk yourself into Kentucky if you like: Ohio State's the smart pick. And past the first weekend, smart picks like the Buckeyes — who will win this one 80-70 — aren't bad ones.
More Reading: SB Nation's Ohio State blog Along the Olentangy has plenty more on both the Buckeyes' hoops squad and Jim Tressel's future, while Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue has everything for the inquisitive Wildcats fan.
Need help catching up with all the action? Here's a printable NCAA Tournament bracket and an updated Sweet 16 schedule.
NCAA Bracket Update: Kentucky Upsets Ohio State, Advances To Elite 8
If your bracket wasn't officially dead, it is now. Heavy-favorite and top-seeded Ohio State was upset Friday night by Kentucky 62-60. The Wildcats has advanced to the Elite 8 of the East Region of the NCAA bracket where they'll face the North Carolina Tar Heels for the right to go to the Final Four. Brandon Knight's jumper with 5 seconds remaining sealed the deal for Kentucky.
The showdown between Kentucky's senior center Josh Harrellson and Ohio State's freshman star Jared Sullinger didn't disappoint. Harellson scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Sullinger led Ohio State with 21 points and 16 rebounds in the losing effort.
It's the first time Kentucky has beaten Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament. They picked a heckuva time to do it. The highly-touted Buckeyes fell in the regional semifinals for a second straight season.
For more on the game, Wildcat fans should celebrate at A Sea of Blue, while Ohio State fans should head to Along The Olentangy.
EAST REGION
No. 4 Kentucky def, No. 1 Ohio State, 62-60
No. 2 UNC def. No. 11 Marquette, 81-63.
WEST REGION
No. 5 Arizona Wildcats def. No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, 99-77
No. 3 Connecticut Huskies def. No. 2 San Diego State, 74-67
SOUTHWEST REGION
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 12 Richmond Spiders, Friday at 7:27 p.m. on TBS
No. 10 Florida State Seminoles vs. No. 11 VCU Rams, Friday at 9:57 p.m. on TBS
SOUTHEAST REGION
No. 8 Butler def. No. 4 Wisconsin, 61-54
No. 2 Florida def. No. 3 BYU. Thursday, 84-73
More 2011 March Madness resources: Visit our NCAA Tournament hub for up-to-date news and information ... updated printable NCAA Tournament bracket.
Check the full NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 schedule, and see predictions and previews for each game.
Mar 26 12:18a by Sean Keeley - 0 comments