Lancaster Eagle-Gazette from Lancaster, Ohio • Page B3

Thursday, March 19, 2015 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette SPORTS 3B Russell, OSU look to crack VCU defense JiVI who all say they wouldn't be in the tournament without his guidance. Keep an eye on him on the sidelines. BEYOND THE ARC: The biggest boost VCU can hope for is to carry over its scintillating 3-point shooting from the A-10 Tournament in Brooklyn. The Rams shot 45.1 percent (42 for 93) from long distance in wins over Fordham, Richmond, Davidson and Dayton. Ohio State is holding opponents to 31.8 percent shooting from 3-point range.

EFFICIENT BUCKEYES: Ohio State has been one of the most efficient offenses in the country, shooting 48.6 percent. That will be tested against the Rams, who like to push the pace and force opponents into quick shots. ONE-AND-DONE: Both teams are trying to avoid losing their first tournament game for the second straight year. The Buckeyes were seeded sixth last March when they lost to llth-seeded Dayton, while VCU was a No. 5 seed when they fell to 12th-seeded Stephen F.

Austin. Coincidentally, Stephen F. Austin will be in the building for its evening game against Utah. The winner of the VCU-Ohio State game will face either No. 2 Arizona or No.

15 Texas Southern. beat Dayton in the title game for the conference's automatic berth. Now they're trying to carry that momentum through March again. "Any year when you make the NCAA Tournament, I think there's a level of healthy nervousness that comes along with it, even if you've played in it before," Smart said. "But for our seniors, for our juniors, they've been in this situation before quite a bit." Here are five things to watch when VCU and Ohio State meet: PRESSURE RELIEF: Russell will have plenty of help trying to break VCU's pressure defense, which ranks third nationally in steals per game (9.7).

Shannon Scott is an exceptional ball-handler, and reserve freshman Kam Williams gives Ohio State at least two point guards on the court at all times. Scott, a senior, will be playing in his fourth NCAA Tournament. He's averaging 8.5 points and 5.9 assists. Williams is averaging 5.7 points. INJURED LEADER: Even though he can't play, Weber has provided an emotional lift for VCU.

He sits next to coaches on the bench, and his immobilized leg doesn't keep him from standing up to shout instructions and encouragement to teammates, Rams' defense creates 'havoc' Antonio Gonzalez Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. Doit-all freshman D'Angelo Russell will likely be one of the top picks in the NBA draft this summer and inherit all the expectations that come with it. First, he'll find out whether he can handle a different kind of pressure: playing in the NCAA Tournament against a team that tries to create chaos. Russell will lead Ohio State (23-10) against vigorous Virginia Commonwealth (26-9) in the round of 64 on Thursday, and even the Rams are eager to see what he can do on college basketball's big stage. "Since the seeding came out, we've been watching prediction after prediction, expert after expert saying they got a top-three pick, that he's mainly going to be the engine that makes them go," VCU guard Melvin Johnson said.

"We're just going to go out and attack." The Buckeyes, seeded 10th in the West Regional, were booted in the Big Ten quarterfinals by Michigan State and went just 4-4 in their final eight games. But Ohio State AP target during the NCAA Tournament. OSU's D'Angelo Russell will be a showed all season that it's always dangerous because of Russell, a dynamic 6-foot-5 lefty who can shoot and pass like a pro. Russell averaged 19.3 points most among freshmen along with 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He also shot 45.8 percent overall and 41.5 percent on 3-pointers.

Russell was not among the players who participated in Ohio State's news conference Wednesday, and he was not available during the time reporters were allowed in the locker room. But Buckeyes have stayed steady since, becoming a March Madness regular behind a high-tempo offense and smothering defense that coach Shaka Smart calls "havoc." VCU won only five of its final 11 regular-season games and suffered its first three-game losing streak in Smart's six seasons as coach after losing Briante Weber to a season-ending right knee injury in a loss to Richmond on Jan. 31. Even without the face of that havoc-causing defense, the Rams got hot in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and Flyers rally in tourney Chagrin Falls' Thome named best in state play sixth-seeded Providence on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. It was the first time since 1987 that a school has played an NCAA Tournament game on its home court, an anomaly resulting from Dayton hosting the opening games.

The Flyers went 16-0 at home during the regular season and have Joe Kay Associated Press DAYTON, Ohio Kendall Pollard scored 17 points, and Dayton used every bit of its home-court advantage on Wednesday night, rallying for a 56-55 win over Boise State in the First Four. The Flyers (26-8) will coach Thad Matta said the last thing he's concerned about is Russell dealing with the hefty weight on his shoulders. "From the first time I began recruiting him, meeting him, then getting him to campus, he's a very mature young man," Matta said. The seventh-seeded Rams are no strangers to battling and beating the best this time of year. VCU is playing in the tournament for the fifth consecutive season, which began with a memorable run to the Final Four in 2011.

The Rams It's been a brilliant bounce-back season for Thome. She missed all but a few games her junior year due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Before that, she had set a school record with 49 points in a 66-47 win over Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin in November 2013. AP SUPER SUNDAY SPECIAL JOBS SECTION Chagrin Falls' Hallie Thome spins to the basket for a shot in the girls' Division II district final in Macedonia, Ohio. Rusty Miller Associated Press COLUMBUS To opponents, she might be an intimidating shot-blocker with the broad smile.

Off the court, Ohio Associated Press Ms. Basketball Hallie Thome is a typical teenage girl. Thome it's rhymes with home was announced Wednesday as the 28th recipient of the Ms. Basketball award, given annually to the top female high school basketball player in the state. The 6-foot-5 senior averaged 19.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.6 blocked shots on the season while hitting 68 percent of her shots from the field, including an incredible 71 percent (180 of 255) on 2-point attempts.

When she's not starring on the court, she's like just about any other girl her age. "I love to shop. I love to paint my nails," she said. "I'll usually go and hang out with friends. And I love watching movies scary ones or chick flicks, romantic comedies." The Michigan signee led the Tigers to a perfect regular season, a No.

3 ranking in the final AP poll and a trip to the regional semifinals. They home game won 22 straight at UD Arena, seventh-longest active streak in Division I. The Flyers trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and by seven with 3:43 to go. With the crowd of 12,592 behind them the biggest attendance for a First Four game Dayton closed with a 10-2 run. builder finished 26-1.

Like a lot of centers, she dreams of being a perimeter player. Maybe that's why she's so proud of the fact that she hit a three this season. "I shot a few," she said, laughing. "When I was open, I figured I'd make one of them. We're working on it." Find the best local job opportunities in our largest employment section of the spring! Get Earn Your Accredited Degree from a Non-Profit University once a week Attend class or entirely CE2).

online! Excited About Your Career Again Associate or Arts in Human Services Lancaster EAGLE-GAZETTE LancasterEagleGazette.coni A GANNETT COMPANY To subscribe, call 1 .877.424.021 3 or visit LancasterEagleGazette.comSubscribe.