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Thomas, Sullinger locked in for Ohio State right now

spt-120325-deshaun

Mike Miller

Nobody’s scored in this tournament like Ohio State’s Deshaun Thomas. That’s saying something in this Final Four.

He’s averaging 22.3 ppg, up from his season average of 16.1. His shooting percentage (55.4) is also up, as are his rebounds (8.8 per game). Safe to say, the Buckeyes probably aren’t in the Final Four without Thomas.

That ensures the sophomore forward isn’t really the a “secret weapon,” but he’s also not the guy teams game-plan for. That’d be sophomore center Jared Sullinger, Ohio State’s leading scorer and rebounder.

But if Thomas is scoring – and being unapologetic about it – Sullinger knows he should find the guy.

“I think it makes it so much easier for me to find Deshaun because nobody knows where he’s at but me,” Sullinger told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. "[There are] some times he’s at the block, sometimes he’s at the 3-point line, sometimes he’s at the midpost area. I think Deshaun just makes me look a lot better than what I am.”

Man, that’s some mind-meld, psychic stuff going on.

So, to recap: Ohio State’s leading scorer is content to find its leading NCAA tournament scorer as often as needed. Stop that? Good luck.

Maybe that’s why the Buckeyes opened the week as the favorite against Kansas.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.