Freshman Sullinger making Buckeyes click

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery has elevated Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger into an elite basketball fraternity before the 6-foot-9 post player has played in his second Big Ten game.

Sullinger has claimed seven of the league's first eight weekly awards for Freshman of the Week. He's powerful at 6-foot-9 and 280 pounds, yet he can move like a small forward. He averages 17.6 points and 10.1 rebounds a game and any singular match-up against Sullinger likely is a losing one, McCaffery conceded.

“I don't think we can take one guy and say, ‘OK, you've got Sullinger,'” McCaffery said. “There's not a team in America that can say that. I'm not sure the Lakers can say that. You have to deal with this guy. He's too strong and too gifted.”

Sullinger leads the league in rebounding and ranks sixth in scoring. But Ohio State Coach Thad Matta said the freshman's immeasurable skills are what separates him from other players.

“I think Jared has a tremendous understanding of the game,” Matta said. “He has a high basketball IQ, and he's got timing to rebound and understanding to rebound as far as positioning and where the ball's going to come off.

“I think that he's got a high skill set offensively and really does a nice job of finishing around the basket. He can finish with any contact that he takes.”

Likewise, McCaffery notices Sullinger's other intangibles when scouting the Buckeyes.

“I think Sullinger is one of the best freshmen that I can remember in my career watching on film in terms of his maturity on the floor,” McCaffery said. “Obviously they have a number of weapons that make them very difficult to prepare for, and that's why they're undefeated.”

That's part of the problem for McCaffery and the Hawkeyes (7-6). No. 2-ranked Ohio State (14-0) has buried each of its opponents by an average of 28 points. No team has come closer to the Buckeyes than 11 points in any game.

Ohio State boasts guards William Buford and David Lighty who are slashing, scoring threats. Guard Jon Diebler tops the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game and has hit 51 percent of 86 3-point attempts. Post Dallas Lauderdale remains a fixture at blocking shots, leading the league once again at 2.36 a game.

Even the backups create problems for Ohio State's opponents. Freshman point guard Aaron Craft comes off the bench but ranks third in assists and sixth in steals among Big Ten players. Freshman Deshaun Thomas, one of the Buckeyes' prized recruits, ended Sullinger's monopoly on Freshman of the Week honors in November and scores 11.4 points off the bench. Sullinger and Thomas rank 1-2 in scoring among Big Ten freshmen.

“It's interesting when you watch this team play,” McCaffery said. “There are days when you say, ‘Lighty is their best player.' Another day, Buford's their best player. Then Sullinger is their best player. Then Diebler makes eight 3s in the next game. Then you say the guy that makes them go is Craft, a point guard. They put him in and everything seems to go a little bit better.

“When it's all said and done, it all revolves around Sullinger because he's almost impossible to guard one-on-one in the post. So if you double him, then they've got too many shooters around. The thing about his game is he plays like an NBA veteran. That's how mature his game is. He doesn't make any mistakes.”