Ohio State and Villanova Read for NCAA Second Round Clash
This will be the second meeting between the teams in the NCAA Tournament

Ohio State vs. #6/5 Villanova
Date: March 20, 2022
Time: 2:40 p.m.
Venue: PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, Pa.
Watch: CBS
Listen: Ohio State Radio Network from Learfield
Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Tournament Info: OSU Tournament Central | Bracket
Game Notes: Ohio State | Villanova
Rosters: Ohio State | Villanova
Season Stats: Ohio State | Villanova

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 7 seed Ohio State will take on No. 2 seed Villanova on Sunday afternoon looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. Tip-off is set for approximately 2:40 p.m. and Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Reggie Miller and Dana Jacobson will call the action on CBS.

The game can also be heard on the Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield as Paul Keels and Buckeye captain Ron Stokes will have the call. Westwood One radio (John Sadak and Fran Fraschilla) will have the national radio broadcast.

·       The Buckeyes are now 52-29 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with one title coming in 1960.

·       This will be the fifth meeting all-time between Ohio State and Villanova and the second in the NCAA Tournament. The first meeting came in the first NCAA Tournament in 1939. The Buckeyes won 53-36 in the Final Four en route to a runner-up finish.

·       The most recent meeting between the teams was a 76-51 Buckeye route in the 2019 Gavitt Games on Nov. 13, 2019 in Columbus.

·       Ohio State is one of 12 teams in the country to earn a bid to each of the last four tournaments (no tournament in 2020).

·       The Buckeyes are one of just three Power 5 programs to win 20 games the previous five years, joining Kansas and Oregon.

·       Head coach Chris Holtmann is 8-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and has taken his seventh consecutive team to the tournament (3 at Butler & 4 at Ohio State).

·       Holtmann teams have won an opening-round game in the NCAA Tournament in six of the last seven years in which the NCAA Tournament was contested.

·       Holtmann and Jay Wright are good friends and will be meeting for the eighth time as opposing head coaches. Wright holds the upper hand by a slim 4-3 margin.

·       The Buckeyes are coming off one of their best defensive efforts in recent years. Ohio State beat Loyola Chicago 54-41 in the opening round while limiting the Ramblers to 26.8 percent shooting. That was the second-lowest opponent shooting percentage in an NCAA Tournament game in program history. The only better performance was holding Holy Cross to 24.4 percent shooting on March 25, 1950.

·       E.J. Liddell led the way with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. He has now had a double-double in both of his NCAA Tournament games as he also had 23 points and 14 rebounds vs. Oral Roberts last season. His 81 blocks this season are eighth-most in a single-season in program history.

·       Liddell has nine double-doubles on the year and has scored in double figures in his last 42 games.

·       Freshman Malaki Branham was 5-of-7 from the floor and finished with 14 points and a season-high four steals in his NCAA Tournament debut. He has scored in double figures in each of the last 10 games.

·       Kyle Young returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with a concussion. He scored nine points and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds.

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COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS