College basketball has been building up to the release of the 2013 NCAA tournament bracket since the ball was tipped in November. While those “feast week” contests took place long ago, the wait until Thursday’s action will seem even longer to college basketball fans.
Yes, the play-in games (or first round if you want to get official) serve as a nice appetizer, but true hoop heads are salivating for the wall-to-wall coverage that Thursday will bring. Have no fear, though, because a 24-hour sports media that is dominated by talking heads and argumentative banter will be there to fill your hoop-less void.
Parity has been the buzzword of the season among those media members as top team after top team continued to fall during the year. So how does that perceived parity impact the experts’ views on a squad like the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are the No. 2 seed in the West Region and have experienced their share of ups and downs much like the other top teams in the bracket?
First off, Thad Matta’s team is in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, which includes a Big Ten tournament championship and wins victories over Indiana and Michigan State. “Experts” are often quite reactionary, so the recent hot streak, which has been fueled by the offensive emergence of media darling Aaron Craft, probably factors into much of this breakdown.
With that in mind, let’s turn to the tape and start by reviewing the opinions of the analysts at the worldwide leader.
Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Ohio State Basketball
