No. 8 George Mason vs. No. 1 Ohio State

Region: East

Time: 5:15 p.m.

Channel: CBS

Location: The Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)

Announcers: Gus Johnson, Len Elmore

Ohio State rode a hot shooting night from deep to beat an overmatched Texas San Antonio team. However, the Buckeyes also didn’t get much contribution from stud freshman Jared Sullinger who has shown the ability to score at will in the post. In the opening game he had just 11 points and only shot two free throws.

Typically freshmen have a tough time in the tournament unless they are named Carmelo Anthony but Sullinger is a special player and I fully expect him to have a better showing today.

Ohio State’s second round opponent is no stranger to big tournament moments. Just a few years ago George Mason made a magical Final Four run. Although it seems improbable that the Patriots could match that run this year, many consider this team better than their predecessors.

The Patriots got out of round one despite poor shooting from leading scorers Cam Long and Ryan Pearson. The two combined to just shoot four of 18 from the field. If they can improve on that they could be dangerous.

Prediction: Although I would love to see an upset by George Mason I think the Buckeyes are easily the better team and are going to come away winners.

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