Commentary
Jayhawks-Buckeyes: Tale of the tape
Originally Published: March 30, 2012
By
Mark Schlabach | ESPN.com
Kansas and Ohio State will play in an NCAA tournament national semifinal game at the New Orleans Superdome on Saturday.
How do they measure up? Let's break down the matchup:
Tale of the tape: Final Four -- Kansas versus Ohio State
Kansas ![]() |
Ohio State ![]() |
|
|---|---|---|
| Location | Lawrence | Columbus |
| City population | 81,604 | 787,033 |
| County | Douglas | Franklin |
| University founded | 1866 | 1870 |
| Enrollment | 29,462 | 64,435 |
| Politics | 64.4 percent of Douglas County voted for Obama in '08 | 59.9 percent of Franklin County voted for Obama in '08 |
| Most famous native | Hugh Beaumont (Ward Cleaver) | Jack Nicklaus |
| Less famous native | Erin Brockovich | Randy "Macho Man" Savage |
| Favorite preseason tradition | Late Night in the Phog | Scripting the i |
| Best Olympian | Billy Mills | Jesse Owens |
| Most infamous crooks | Bonnie & Clyde | Jim Tressel |
| Most famous tombstone | James Naismith | Woody Hayes |
| Infamous massacre | Quantrill's Raid | 41-14 vs. Florida in '07 BCS title game |
| Greatest discovery | Pluto | Wendy's |
| Record | 31-6 | 31-7 |
| ESPN.com preseason ranking | 18 | 3 |
| Final Fours | 14 | 11 |
| National championships | 3 | 1 |
| Slogan | "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!" | "O-H-I-O!" |
| Best pro prospect | Thomas Robinson | Jared Sullinger |
| Glue guy | Travis Releford | Aaron Craft |
| Spark plug | Tyshawn Taylor | William Buford |
| In-state players | 2 | 6 |
| In-state starters | 0 | 3 |
| Best Final Four moment | Danny Manning vs. Oklahoma in 1988 final | Defeating Cal 75-55 in 1960 final |
| Worst Final Four moment | Losing to North Carolina in 3 OT in 1957 final | Losing to Cincinnati in 1961 and '62 finals |
| Biggest shot | Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer vs. Memphis in 2008 final | Evan Turner's 37-foot buzzer-beater vs. Michigan in 2010 |
| Best player moniker | Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain | Clark "Special K" Kellogg |
| Best team | 1995-96 | 1959-60 |
| Most famous coach | Phog Allen | Fred Taylor |
| Less famous coach | Dick Harp | Jim O'Brien |
| Best player (before 3-pointer) | Wilt Chamberlain | Jerry Lucas |
| Best player (post 3-pointer) | Manning | Jim Jackson |
| Most hated player | Hakim Warrick | Chris Webber |
| Most hated coach | Roy Williams | Steve Fisher |
| Best pro | Chamberlain | John Havlicek |
| Worst pro | Julian Wright | Greg Oden |
| Funniest fan | Paul Rudd | Richard Lewis |
| Best player turned coach | Dean Smith | Bob Knight |
| Points per game | 74.1 | 75 |
| Opponents' points per game | 61.6 | 59.7 |
| Rebounds per game | 37.6 | 37.1 |
| Assists per game | 15.2 | 14.7 |
| Field goal percentage | 47.6 | 48.0 |
| 3-point FG percentage | 34.5 | 33.3 |
| Free throw percentage | 69.1 | 70.5 |
- College football/basketball writer for ESPN.com
- Author of seven books on college football
- Formerly at the Washington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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2012 FINAL FOUR

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TITLE GAME
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Self 
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HOW WE GOT HERE
- Andy Katz, Gene Woj from Atlanta »
- Dana O'Neil from Boston »
- Jason King, Robbi Pickeral from St. Louis »
- Eamonn Brennan, Rick Reilly from Phoenix »
- Andy Katz from Albuquerque »
- Myron Medcalf from Columbus »
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- Chris Low from Nashville »
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