The health status of Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger against the Kansas Jayhawks is the big question heading into a great weekend of college basketball.
ESPN will broadcast this 3:15 p.m. (ET) contest on Saturday from Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. The pointspread and total are pending. Kentucky at Indiana will follow on the ‘Worldwide Leader.’
The 6-foot-9 Sullinger (19.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG) has been upgraded to probable on the Don Best injury report. He sat out last game versus Texas-Pan American (64-35 win) with back spasms, but has reportedly started feeling much better the last day or so. He should suit up and the bigger question is whether his play with suffer at all.
Sullinger has the Buckeyes (8-0 straight up, 3-1 against the spread) ranked second nationally. They didn’t need him last game, but playing at No. 13 Kansas is a different story. Secondary scorers William Buford (16 PPG), Deshaun Thomas (12.9 PPG) and Aaron Craft (9.8 PPG) must be ready to step up. No other teammate scores more than 5.4 PPG.
Kansas (6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS) lost four of its top-5 scorers from last year, including almost 31 PPG from the Morris brothers (Marcus and Markieff). Thomas Robinson has increased his scoring about 10 PPG to 17.4 PPG. He’s also averaging 12 RPG and it should be a good inside battle with Sullinger.
Point guard Tyshawn Taylor (16.8 PPG) is the other big scorer, but he turns the ball over way too much (4.0 per game) and Craft is one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the nation. Other players will have to step up offensively with junior guard Travis Releford (8.3 PPG) needing to take more shots at 51.9 percent field goal shooting.
Both teams are very good at rebounding, with a 9.1 per game margin for Kansas and 10.2 for Ohio State. Jayhawks’ center Jeff Withey (6.3 PPG) is a seven-footer and he’ll have to help out with Sullinger, who has a weight advantage over Robinson even after slimming way down.
The ‘under’ is 6-2 for Kansas this year and 8-2 in its last 10 at home overall. It’s just 1-10 ATS in its last 11 against the Big Ten.
Ohio State has played all its games at home this year, although it does have wins over highly ranked Florida (81-74) and Duke (85-63). Kansas lost to Duke 68-61 at the Maui Invitational, but is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS at home, albeit against weak competition.
Indiana hosts Kentucky in the Border War
The ‘border war’ rivalry between the Indiana Hoosiers and Kentucky Wildcats used to be one of the nation’s best and appears to be making a comeback thanks to Indiana coach Tom Crean.
Crean went just 28-66 SU in his first three years, rebuilding from scratch with a decimated roster. This year’s group has jumped out to an 8-0 SU mark (4-0 ATS) with freshman big man Cody Zeller (5-star recruit) leading the way at 15.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG. An even better recruiting class should come in 2012 with three, 4-star commitments in place.
The Hoosiers are averaging 85 PPG (tied for seventh nationally) which has helped the ‘over’ go 3-1. However, no games have come against ranked opponents and they’re still outside the top-25 themselves.
Kentucky (8-0 S, 3-4 ATS) showed why it’s the nation’s No. 1 team last Saturday with a 73-72 home win over North Carolina. The Tar Heels are one of the few teams that can match up talent-wise with John Calipari’s crew. The only downside is the Wildcats failed to cover as solid 6 ½ point favorites and are 0-4 ATS in their last five games after starting 3-0 ATS.
Freshman big man Anthony Davis had the game-saving block against North Carolina. He’s second in the nation in that category (4.5 per game) and will give Zeller trouble. Zeller needs some help underneath from junior forward Christian Watford. The Hoosiers also have three guys around 6-foot-5 in their 6-man rotation, which gives them decent length.
The Wildcats’ athleticism is off the charts. Terrence Jones (15 PPG), Doron Lamb (14.4 PPG) and diaper dandy Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (12.1 PPG) are all capable of taking over games and their top-7 players include two sophomores and four freshmen.
The young Kentucky players can’t afford a letdown coming off the UNC game, but Calipari has had a week to get into their ear. The team is scoring 82.4 PPG and allowing 57 PPG, with the ‘under’ 5-2 this season and 13-3-1 in the last 17 overall.
The Wildcats have dominated Indiana the last three years (3-0 SU and ATS), the average score 81-63. They’re 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings overall.
Sunday’s not just about football anymore
Sunday’s slate isn’t gigantic, but three top-25 teams are in action with No. 16 Alabama hosting Detroit, No. 21 Memphis welcoming Murray State and No. 24 Illinois entertaining Coppin State.
Memphis (5-2 SU, 3-3 ATS) started slowly at 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS, but has started to turn things around the last three games (3-0 SU, 2-0 ATS) against weaker foes. Guard Will Barton has been a beast all year both scoring (19.1 PPG) and rebounding (8.0 RPG).
Murray State is one of the better mid-majors and off to a 9-0 SU (4-2 ATS) start. It’s no stranger to playing ranked teams, making 12 trips to the NCAA tourney since 1988.