3 things to know ahead of Ohio State’s 2nd round NCAA Tournament game versus Villanova

PITTSBURGH (WCMH) — Ohio State will go for its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013 when the No. 7 Buckeyes face No. 2 Villanova at 2:40 p.m. on Sunday.

OSU reached the second round after a low-scoring 54-41 win over Loyola Chicago.

41 points is the fourth-fewest points OSU has allowed in an NCAA Tournament game, with the other three games occurring in 1939, 1945 and 1946.

Sunday will be a much different matchup against the Wildcats who are 27-7 this season.

Scouting Villanova

Villanova cruised past Delaware 80-60 in the first round with the Wildcats burying 13 three-pointers. Meanwhile, Ohio State was dismal from behind the arc, only making one three-pointer on 15 attempts. That will need to improve Sunday if the Buckeyes hope to keep up with Villanova, which has made 320 threes this season, tied for 14th-best in the country.

Although the Wildcats shoot better from distance, the Buckeyes actually have the edge when it comes to scoring. OSU averages 73.2 points per game while Villanova is slightly behind that mark at 72.9 per game.

Villanova has the clear edge on defense with the Wildcats only allowing 63 points a game, which is a concern for the Buckeyes who have struggled to score during long stretches of the season as proven by their four losses in five games entering March Madness. OSU will need its two NBA prospects, junior forward E.J. Liddell and freshman guard Malaki Branham, to each have a big day if the Buckeyes hope to survive and advance.

The other difference will be whether Ohio State can play defense like it did against the Ramblers. Coming into that first round game, Ohio State ranked 133rd in the country in defensive efficiency. But the Buckeyes held Loyola below 27% shooting in a game OSU coach Chris Holtmann said was “the best defensive performance” the Buckeyes have had in a couple of years.

Villanova has four players who average double digits in scoring with three of those players shooting 40% or better from three-point range. Trying to slow down the Wildcats will not be the same as limiting Loyola, so this will be real the test to see if Ohio State’s defense has actually improved.