Ohio State appears to have no deficiencies. None. And it’s not only that they aren’t weak in most aspects — they are strong in almost every aspect. A look at The Buckeyes are good at offense and defense, in almost every category. They shoot well, they don’t turn the ball over, they don’t foul, they have young stars and experienced contributors. They are above average in almost everything. The only thing they don’t do well, opponent free throw percentage, is something they have literally no control over — for some reason, opponents shoot well from the free-throw line against them.

So, now that we’ve established Ohio State is really good, let’s look more specifically at what makes the Buckeyes good — and how UK matches up.

1. It all starts with Jared Sullinger — the freshman center is one of the top players in the country and the most recognizable name for Ohio State. For good reason: He leads the team with 17 points per game on 53 percent shooting, and grabs 10.1 rebounds per game (approximately 1/3 of which are offensive). He has polished post moves (former Ohio State player Mark Titus said on a podcast he has better offensive moves than Greg Oden) and draws a lot of contact. Sullinger scores 1.22 points per possession, a high mark for a player who is also the highest usage player on the team.

UK has encountered a couple post players during the season: Tyler Zeller, Sam Muldrow, JaMychal Green, Festus Ezeli. Some have had great games against UK, others didn’t. One thing that kept popping up whenever UK was able to limit big men, however, was Josh Harrellson’s work underneath. When UK held Green to 12 points and 9 rebounds in an SEC semifinal win, Harrellson said he worked to make Green catch the ball farther out than he’s accustomed to. Not only did that make Green work harder, and take harder shots from spots he was more uncomfortable with, but it allowed UK’s perimeter defenders to not have to leave their man as far as normal. Harrellson will have to play a great defensive game, but it’s plausible. Sullinger is athletic, but he’s not the above-the-rim, assault-the-air type of player that causes problems. Harrellson can body him up and stay in front, and look to make every shot as difficult as possible.

2. Ohio State is deadly from outside — The Buckeyes rank No. 2 nationally in three-point accuracy, shooting at a 42 percent clip. (UK shoots 39.6 percent, 10th in the nation.) Jon Diebler (50 percent), William Buford (43 percent) and David Lighty (39 percent, including a school record 7-for-7 against George Mason) are the primary shooters. The ability to shoot from three, combined with Sullinger’s post presence, is the predominant reason why Ohio State has the No. 2 offense in terms of tempo-free efficiency in the nation — the inside-outside game is difficult to guard. When teams double down and trap Sullinger, that leaves Ohio State’s three-point shooters with open looks. If opponents play tight on the perimeter guys, that leaves Sullinger free to work one-on-one.

The best inside-out combination is between Jon Diebler, who shoots 50 percent from three, and Sullinger. Ohio State isolates those two on one side of the floor, which further limits opponents’ options. It’s a pick-your-poison approach. How UK chooses to defend Ohio State — whether to let Harrellson guard Sullinger alone, whether to double down with the forwards and guards, or whether to use Terrence Jones to shade toward Sullinger in the post — will be key.

3. The Ohio State defense — The Buckeyes have not only one of the most efficient offenses in the nation (No. 2), but also one of the best defensive units (No. 7). Two big reasons: they don’t foul, and they create turnovers. Ohio State sends opponents to the line at the lowest rate in the nation. That’s not accidental; head coach Thad Matta teaches his team to play that way (which is huge, considering Ohio State has a short seven-man rotation). Fouling is a “weakness,” Matta told Sports Illustrated earlier this year. UK has been getting to the line frequently recently — Brandon Knight said Calipari told the team to start the game aggressively and driving to the rim before the West Virginia game, which led to 24 free throws (although eight of those were from intentional fouls at the end of the game) — and UK’s athleticism and penchant for slashing to the rim could force Ohio State into fouling more frequently.

Although they don’t foul, Ohio State still manages to find a way to play aggressively enough to force an above-average amount of turnovers. But UK takes care of the ball extremely well, ranking ninth in the country in turnover rate.

4. Miscellaneous — The CBS studio crew spent time dissecting the Ohio State – Kentucky matchup, looking to see a way the Buckeyes were vulnerable. Greg Anthony called Ohio State a team with “no deficiencies,” but he did say that a team that pushed the tempo and utilized good guard play had the best chance of beating them. Sitting next to Anthony, Rick Pitino said this Anthony’s description of that team sounded “exactly like Kentucky.”