As Columbus hosts March Madness, here are five things to watch for

On Mar 17, 2023

March Madness is back in Columbus.

For the first time since 2019, Columbus is one of eight host cities for the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Friday, Nationwide Arena will see two Big Ten teams, one of which is a No. 1 seed, take up temporary residence alongside six others all angling to make the Sweet 16 in New York City’s Madison Square Garden as part of the East region.

The first session gets underway with No. 7 seed Michigan State against No. 10 seed USC at 12:15 p.m. and will be followed by No. 2 seed Marquette against No. 15 seed Vermont 30 minutes after its conclusion. In the evening, No. 1 seed Purdue will face No. 16 seed Farleigh Dickinson at 6:50 p.m. before No. 8 seed Memphis and No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic tip off 30 minutes after its conclusion.

Here’s a list of four things to keep an eye on during the first round of games in Columbus.

Ohio State Buckeyes:Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy

Can two Big Ten standard-bearers take steps to end the streak?

Tom Izzo was a sprightly 45 years old when the Michigan State coach climbed a ladder at Indianapolis’ RCA Dome and cut down the final nets of the season. It was the year 2000, and his Spartans had just defeated Florida to capture the 10th national championship for a Big Ten team and end an 11-year drought in the process.

Thursday morning, the 68-year-old Izzo sat inside Nationwide Arena as his No. 7 seed Spartans prepared to open the NCAA Tournament with a Friday game against No. 10 seed USC. The Big Ten’s current drought is 23 years, one that doesn’t include a 2002 title by current member Maryland earned before the Terrapins joined the league. In between then and now is a string of near-misses and talented teams that have either come up just short or, occasionally, crashed and burned far earlier in the bracket than expected.

March Madness:Which Columbus-area men’s basketball players are in the 2023 NCAA Tournament?

It’s an ongoing question that picks up with each passing year: when’s the Big Ten going to end the drought?

“Why aren’t we winning it?” Izzo said. “It all comes down to matchups at the end. I worry a little bit. I think we beat the hell out of our league this year, each other. That can make you stronger or wear you down. I don’t know. But I like the position that some of these Big Ten teams are in.”

Eight Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament this year. Only two of them are top-four seeds. No. 4 Indiana plays Friday night, but Columbus is also the site of potentially the first two tournament games for No. 1 seed Purdue. The Boilermakers won the league’s regular-season title by three games and followed with the conference tournament title as well.

Since 2000, the Big Ten has played at least one team in the Final Four in 12 seasons and reached the title game in 2002 (Indiana), 2005 (Illinois), 2007 (Ohio State), 2009 (Michigan State), 2013 (Michigan), 2015 (Wisconsin) and 2018 (Michigan) without finishing on top.

“You’ve got to do your part without sitting there looking at your whole league and say something in theory why it hasn’t happened,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “I can sit here and tell you that Purdue’s got to do a better job. I’ve got to do a better job. You just keep fighting. There’s really good teams that you’re playing, and you just gotta be better.”

How does the nation’s smallest team prepare to combat the tallest player?

Listed at 7-4, 305 pounds, Purdue third-year center Zach Edey is a physical mismatch for any opponent.

He will open NCAA Tournament play with a first-round date against No. 16 seed Farleigh Dickinson. The Knights, who defeated Texas Southern on Wednesday in a First Four game in Dayton, are bringing the nation’s shortest roster to their matchup against Purdue.

According to KenPom.com, Farleigh Dickinson has an average height of 73.4 inches – dead last among 363 Division I men’s basketball teams. Of the 13 players on the roster, just one is taller than 6-6. That would be lightly used reserve forward Pier-Olivier Racine, who is listed at 6-7. The Knights typically start two guards who are both shorter than 6-0 including leading scorer Demetre Roberts (5-8, 16.6 points per game).

Primary center Ansley Almonor is listed at 6-6, 219 pounds. So, how do they plan to combat Edey?

“We’ll see,” Roberts said.

Painter said Edey will not guard Almonor.

“I’m not sure how we’re going to guard them,” Fairleigh Dickinson coach Tobin Anderson said. “A lot of discussions, we’ll do the best. We hope we can cause some mismatch problems for them as well.”