MINNEAPOLIS — Super sophomore Jared Sullinger's name is all over the Ohio State men's basketball media notes.
He was on the preseason All-Big Ten team. He's on the Oscar Robertson Trophy midseason watch list, not to mention the preseason Naismith Top 50 and Wooden Award Top 50 lists. Multiple media outlets tabbed him as their preseason player of the year and a preseason All-American.
On Tuesday, all the hype surrounding Sullinger and sixth-ranked Ohio State (21-4, 9-3 Big Ten) come to Dinkytown as the Buckeyes face a Golden Gophers team in desperate need of a win.
With Sullinger roaming the elevated Williams Arena floor -- and without senior forward Trevor Mbakwe in a Gophers uniform to defend him -- a victory won't come easy for Minnesota.
"We might put a mask on Ralph (Sampson III), make them think it's Trevor," Gophers coach Tubby Smith joked Monday. "We've got to have some help, whoever guards him. We can't guard that kid one-on-one. Jared is a great player."
Through 23 games this season, the 6-foot-9, 265-pound Sullinger is averaging 17.2 points, third-most in the Big Ten. He's also pulling down 10.2 rebounds per game, second-most in the conference behind Michigan State's Draymond Green.
The Gophers have already faced Green once this season, and the senior forward torched Minnesota for 22 points and 14 rebounds in a 68-52 Spartans victory in East Lansing. Minnesota has yet to face Sullinger this season, but Gophers junior forward Rodney Williams puts Sullinger and Green in a class of their own among the Big Ten's best players.
"When he gets the ball in the post, we're going to try to double-team him and get the ball out of his hands as quick as possible, make the other guys on the court win the game for them," Williams said of Sullinger. "He's their key guy, so we know he's going to get his points. But we're going to do our best to get the ball out of his hands as quick as possible."
In two games against Minnesota last season, Sullinger averaged 16.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in a pair of OSU wins. That was with Mbakwe in the Gophers' lineup, however. On Tuesday, the 6-foot-8 Mbakwe will be watching from the Minnesota bench. The Big Ten's leading rebounder from last season is out for the season after tearing his ACL in late November.
With no Mbakwe, that means the task of trying to defend Sullinger will fall mostly on the shoulders of Williams and centers Ralph Sampson III and Elliott Eliason.
At just 230 pounds, Sampson gives up 35 pounds to Sullinger, but at 6-foot-11 he is two inches taller.
"I believe the key to guarding Sullinger will be using my advantages against him," Sampson said. "I am taller than him, longer, so I play hands straight up, let him shoot over me. And not let him get close or near the basket. If I keep him away the basket, keep him from short (two-pointers) and make him work for each and every point, I think I can limit his effectiveness during the game."
While Sullinger is the centerpiece of Ohio State's offense, he's not the only piece. Senior guard William Buford is averaging 15 points per game, while sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas has added 14.3 points a night. Those three are big reasons why the Buckeyes are the second-highest scoring team in the Big Ten at 75.8 points per game, trailing only Indiana's 78.7 ppg.
After a heartbreaking overtime loss to rival Wisconsin on Friday in which it clawed back from 10 points down, Minnesota needs to rebound in order to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive. The Gophers are 17-8 on the year but just 5-7 in the Big Ten with six conference games remaining.
An upset win over the Buckeyes would certainly bolster Minnesota's case.
"We're trying not to pay attention to that, but of course I think we all take a peek at it to see where we're at," Williams said of the tournament. "Right now, a couple people have us in. Some people have us out. We know we've got to get these wins at home so that we can secure it for ourselves at not leave it up to the (selection committee) in the end."
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