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Ohio State-Tennessee preview
Approx. 8:50 p.m. today, San Antonio, (Ch. 11) 08:37 PM CDT on Wednesday, March 21, 2007
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
Frontcourt: Ohio State super 7-foot freshman Greg Oden has use of both hands after having his right (shooting hand) wrist in a cast the first half of the season. He will be matched up against Tennessee 6-9 freshman forward Wayne Chism and 6-4 senior Dane Bradshaw. Is that a fair fight?
Edge: Ohio State
Backcourt: The Volunteers will pressure Ohio State full court with guards Ramar Smith, JaJuan Smith and 3-point shooting ace Chris Lofton. Ohio State's guards * Mike Conley Jr., Ron Lewis and Jamar Butler * struggled against that pressure in a 68-66 Buckeye victory in Columbus on Jan. 13.
Edge: Tennessee
Intangibles: The Vols forced 20 turnovers against the Buckeyes in their first meeting, and Pearl now wishes Ohio State didn't have any first-hand experience dealing with the Vols' pressure. Ohio State plays excellent defense, thanks in large part to Oden, who averages 3.4 blocks per game.
Edge: Ohio State
Bench: The Buckeyes' bench averages 22 points per game, but freshman sixth man Daequan Cook is in a slump (5-of-26, 19.2 percent) the last four games. The Vols have 10 players averaging at least 11 minutes per game, and the bench averages 23.6 points per game.
Edge: Tennessee
Bottom line: Ohio State knows its lucky to be alive after Xavier missed a free throw in the final seconds that would have sent the Buckeyes home in the second round. Greg Oden and Co. haven't had a breakout game yet this season, and Tennessee has (with a win over Florida, 86-76, on Feb. 27).
Edge: Tennessee