Ohio State vs. Oral Roberts NCAA Tournament basketball preview, prediction, and odds

Ohio State is set to kick off its NCAA Tournament journey on Friday against No. 15 seed Oral Roberts. We’ve got your preview and prediction.

Key Player For Ohio State

Forward E.J. Liddell – Duane Washington has been the guy here as of late as the playmaker and leading scorer for Ohio State. He’ll be needed of course, but this is a chance for Liddell to shine. He’ll have a significant mismatch down low compared to what he’s seen in the Big Ten. It won’t be as physical of a game and he should have more room to operate. He could have a big, big day.

Key Player to Know for Oral Roberts

Guard Max Abmas – The Golden Eagles have a slew of guys that shoot the ball well, but the guy to keep an eye on is Abmas. He shoots the ball like the rest of the team, but will use his lightning quickness to get past defenders if they cheat out too far. He leads all of Division I in scoring at 24.2 points per contest. He also leads the team in assists and steals and could be a handful.

NEXT … The prediction