Columbus, OH

With one of the best players in the country back and coming off a 34-win season, expectations are high at Ohio State entering the 2011-12 college basketball season.

Led by sophomore Jared Sullinger, the potential No. 1 pick in the next NBA Draft, coach Thad Matta's squad is expected to come out on top in the rugged Big Ten Conference and contend for a national title.

Wisconsin, Michigan and Purdue are all expected to challenge Ohio State for conference supremacy but the road to the Big Ten title goes through Columbus.

The Buckeyes went 34-3 last season and have earned back-to-back Big Ten championships and Sweet 16 appearances. Despite the recent success, Matta and the Buckeyes are aware of the fact that nothing will be handed to them this season

"We've been getting these guys to understand there's no entitlement from last year's team to winning, they've got work to do," Matta said. "I think that's been the beauty of coaching them to this point—they understand that."

Sullinger averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game as a freshman and was tabbed as the preseason player of the year in the conference. He is joined on the preseason Wooden Award list by a pair of Buckeye guards in William Buford and Aaron Craft.

Buford is the only senior on the Ohio State roster and has averaged 13.4 points per game over 106 games with the Buckeyes. Craft won the Big Ten's sixth man of the year award as a freshman.

"Everybody is expecting this team to go far," Sullinger said. "We're just trying to take every day as we can and get better and make the progression to be that team they want us to be."

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