As the Ohio St. Buckeyes anxiously await the identity of their Final Four opponent in New Orleans next weekend, the North Carolina Tar Heels and Kansas Jayhawks will square off in one of the most highly anticipated games of the college basketball season.
The Midwest region's top seed, the Tar Heels narrowly escaped an upset bid by the Ohio Bobcats on Friday, and look inherently more beatable without star point guard Kendall Marshall on the floor. Marshall's broken wrist came a the worst possible time, and has created entirely new mess of issues for head coach Roy Williams to deal with as he learns to live without his flashy distributor.
After taking down No. 1 Syracuse behind a strong second half push from Jared Sullinger, Ohio State clinched its first Final Four appearance since the Greg Oden-led team of 2007 lost to Florida in the finals. This current Buckeyes squad certainly has the makings of a title contender, but they will have to get past either North Carolina or Kansas to have a chance at wearing the crown.
Game Time: March 25, 5:05 p.m. ET
Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
TV: CBS
Announcers: Marv Albert, Steve Kerr
For more 2012 NCAA Tournament coverage, head over to SB Nation's 2012 tourney hub page. For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. Also be sure to stay up with SB Nation's 2012 printable bracket.