Sweet 16 Preview: #2 Ohio State vs. #6 Arizona Schedule and Prediction

Culture

Game two features the #2 Seeded Ohio State Buckeyes against the #6 Seeded Arizona Wildcats from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California at 7:47 ET on TBS.

How Did They Get Here:

Ohio State (28-7, 13-5 Big Ten) won their first game 95-70 over the Iona Gaels behind four guys in double-figures.  In their next game, they were met with a stiff challenge from the Iowa State Cyclones; however, Aaron Craft hit the game winning three with less than a second left to cap off an 18 points, 6 assist day.

Arizona (27-7, 12-6 Pac-12) won their first game 81-64 against trendy upset pick Belmont.  All five starters scored at least 9 points, and the team shot better than 50% from the field and from three.  In their next game, they held Harvard without a field goal for more than 7 minutes, opening up the game on a 30-9 run, and going on to win 74-51.

What to Watch For:

Vegas has the Buckeyes as 4 point favorites and that sounds about right.  Arizona is heating up at the right time, winning their first two games in convincing fashion; however, they have not beaten a ranked foe since Christmas Day against San Diego State.  Ohio State is also playing their best basketball at the right time, winning ten in a row since an embarrassing 22 point loss in Madison on February 17.  Since that time, they have defeated four ranked teams and won a Big Ten Tournament title in the process.  Behind Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft, the Buckeyes will be too much for Mark Lyons and the rest of the Wildcats to handle.

Prediction: Ohio State 72, Arizona 63.