If Coach John Calipari plans to use the motivator of "people don't think we can beat No. 1 seed Ohio State," ESPN analysts Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla threw logs on that metaphorical fire on Wednesday.
Speaking on a teleconference, Bilas and Fraschilla spoke of Ohio State as the favorite not only to beat Kentucky on Friday but to win this year's NCAA Tournament.
"I did not think there was a historically great team," Bilas said. "If there is one, it's Ohio State."
If Ohio State and Kentucky played a best-of-seven series, Fraschilla said he would pick the Buckeyes. "In five games," he said. "Maybe six."
Of course, the NCAA Tournament is a pass/fail proposition in each game.
"Maybe one of those nights when young guys can step up," Fraschilla said of Kentucky beating Ohio State. "It's a tall order."
Ohio State (34-2) routed Texas-San Antonio and George Mason in its first two NCAA Tournament games. Kentucky, the No. 4 seed, advanced to the Sweet 16 by beating Princeton on a last-second shot by point guard Brandon Knight and rallying from an eight-point halftime deficit to top West Virginia.
"They're the real thing," Bilas said of the Buckeyes. "They're very, very good. It would take an extraordinary effort by Kentucky to win that game."
Bilas acknowledged that favorites — even overwhelming favorites — do not always win. He noted how Villanova upset Georgetown in the 1985 finals in Rupp Arena. That took an extraordinary performance by Villanova.
Recalling being an assistant coach for Duke when the Blue Devils upset UNLV in the 1991 Final Four, Bilas said, "I thought UNLV was the best team. We happened to clip them."
The ESPN analysts saw Ohio State and Kansas as having separated themselves from other NCAA Tournament teams. "By a little bit," Bilas said.
Balance and multiple scoring threats characterize this Ohio State team. The Buckeyes have an All-America low-post threat in freshman Jared Sullinger. Plus, Ohio State ranks first nationally in three-point shooting accuracy.
When asked how Kentucky should defend Ohio State, Bilas said the Cats cannot risk taking a defender away from certain perimeter shooters to help on Sullinger.
"(Jon) Diebler is a no-leave guy," Bilas said. "You can't help off him."
Some opponents chose to help off freshman point guard Aaron Craft, not because he's a poor shooter but because he's not as reliable a shooter as Diebler, David Lighty or William Buford.
Florida vs. Fredette
Another Sweet 16 matchup pits Florida against a BYU team led by player of the year candidate Jimmer Fredette.
Bilas noted one advantage for Florida: The Gators lost to Fredette in last year's NCAA Tournament. That experience makes the Florida players know Fredette is substance as well as hype.
"Till players see it and feel it, they don't actually believe it," Bilas said of how the Gators might approach Fredette. "They should be very attentive to the scouting report."
