Ohio State to win NCAA Tournament

Sports Analytics Inc predicts Ohio State to be cutting the net at the end of the NCAA Tournament...and this is exactly why:

1. Veteran leadership: Good teams lose two ways in the tournament -- they play a bad game or they play a good team that plays great. The Buckeyes may be less prone to a bad game than any team in the tournament -- they're one of two teams in the country (San Diego State) without a loss to an unranked opponent. And, critically, Ohio State has proven this season it can win when not playing its best. That's in large part because seniors David Lighty, Jon Diebler and Dallas Lauderdale don't let them get rattled.

"There's something about experience that keeps you calm under pressure, and I think you saw it in this tournament," said former OSU football star James Laurinaitis, who attended the Big Ten Tournament title game. "When I was a sophomore and we had Troy Smith at quarterback, no matter what situation you got in, you sensed somehow those guys were going to know how to pull it out and get a W."

2. Different styles: Historically, the NCAA Tournament allows the Buckeyes to get out and run free after months of grind-it-out Big Ten play. That's what Ohio State wants to do. While some wondered about Ohio State not being able to speed up Northwestern and Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, the truth is this: Ohio State can win playing fast or slow.

"We're able to do a lot of different things," point guard Aaron Craft said.

3. The numbers: It's lovely that Dick Vitale picked Ohio State to win it. It's more relevant that some of the top numeric basketball analysts -- Nate Silver writing in the New York Times, Ken Pomeroy writing for Basketball Prospectus and Luke Winn at SI.com -- arrived at Ohio State as the probable champ, the inside numbers on the Buckeyes' offensive and defensive efficiency, free-throw numbers and numerous other factors putting them on top.

Did you know: Ohio State has only lost two games since November 12 2010 against two teams which will likely not be featuring deep in the tournament. This bodes well for the Buckeyes.

They don't just pass the eye test, but the numbers test. Pomeroy's numbers, for instance, gave Ohio State a 21.6 percent chance to win it all, better than Duke at 15.3 percent.

4. No Florida: The debate over which version of the Buckeyes is better -- the 2007 Greg Oden team or the 2011 Jared Sullinger team -- is intriguing. But there's no doubt that this Ohio State team doesn't have to deal with a veteran, defending champ stocked with NBA talent like those Buckeyes did in their title game loss to Florida. Kansas is good, but there's no Florida in this field.