On Sunday, Villanova will battle 7-seed Ohio State for a spot in the Sweet 16. The Buckeyes beat 10-seed Loyola Chicago 54-41 on Friday.

The Buckeyes enter with a 20-11 record. They entered the NCAA Tournament scuffling a bit, having won just three of their last eight and one of their last five games, including a loss to Penn State in their opening game of the Big Ten Tournament.

KenPom ranks the Buckeyes 31st overall (12th offensively, 107th defensively). Haslametrics has Ohio State 34th overall (14th offensively, 107th defensively). Clearly the metrics like the Buckeyes’ offensive performance, but it was their defense that stole the show against Loyola Chicago.

The Ramblers shot just 26.8% overall and 28.6% from 3. They also hit just 30% of their free throw attempts. Despite the poor 3-point shooting numbers, Loyola Chicago was actually +21 from beyond the arc on Friday as Ohio State managed just 1-15 shooting from deep. The Buckeyes made up for that with a dominant performance inside and by building a 14-point advantage from the free throw line. Ohio State hit 17-28 (60.7%) of its 2-point attempts while Loyola Chicago was a dismal 7-28 (25%). The Buckeyes won points in the paint 26-14.

The question is whether Ohio State can replicate that defensive performance. The metrics would suggest not, and it’s hard to count on such inside struggles from an opponent regardless of how well the defense played. Likewise, it’s hard to count on a 21-10 advantage in free throw attempts. It’s not often a team gets outscored by 21 points from 3 and commits 17 turnovers while forcing 14 and still records a 13-point win, but that’s what Ohio State did on Friday.

So, what from Friday’s performance is likely to be replicated and what was an aberration?

Well, the Buckeyes do have a good free throw attempt rate, and while it’s impossible to know how a game will be officiated, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see the Buckeyes get to the line. They rank middle of the pack when it comes to sending opponents to the line, and most opponents are going to shoot better than 30% from the charity stripe, so a +14 from the line would be a surprise on Sunday. Ohio State converts a solid 76.1% of its free throw attempts.

What about the 3-point line. The Buckeyes are a decent 3-point shooting team, hitting 36.6% on the season, so we shouldn’t expect a 6.7% long-range shooting performance again. They allow opponents to hit 33.7%, a middle of the pack number that the Ramblers fell short of on Friday despite hitting eight shots from deep. This could be a key area on Sunday.

The 2-point numbers are somewhat supported by the stats. Ohio State has been very good from 2-point range, hitting 54.2%. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have held opponents to 45.7% from 2-point range. So, they outperformed their offensive numbers slightly while holding Loyola Chicago to well below average. It’s not a surprise Ohio State had an advantage inside, but the numbers were a bit skewed on each side of the ball and you’d have to think that Loyola-Chicago’s numbers, in particular, were an aberration. It will be interesting to see how things shake out inside on Sunday.

The Buckeyes have been elite converting from the mid-range and around the rim, and they will take a lot of mid-range attempts.

Ohio State has been good taking care of the ball, so its 17 turnovers on Friday were a bit higher than expected, but the Buckeyes also don’t force a ton of turnovers, ranking 327th in opponent’s turnover percentage. This should be an area where the ‘Cats can establish an advantage.

The Buckeyes have been elite converting from the mid-range and around the rim, and they will take a lot of mid-range attempts. It will be interesting to see how ‘Nova looks to defend the Buckeyes. They have a potent offense that will present some challenges.

Ohio State has also been best defensively around the rim and in the mid-range.

The Buckeyes have been average on the glass, but they have excelled at converting the second-chance opportunities they do get into points. However, they’ve been a bit susceptible to surrendering offensive rebounds to opponents as well.

Ohio State has been quite reliant on a pair of players for offensive production. E.J. Liddell has been a force for the Buckeyes, averaging 19.5 points, eight rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 blocks while hitting a solid 37% from 3. The only other double figure scorer for Ohio State is Malaki Branham, who averages 13.4 points and hits 42% from 3. He adds 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

Liddell had 16 points in the win over Loyola Chicago while Branham had 14. Young had nine, and no other Buckeye had more than four.

It will be interesting to see if ‘Nova sells out to shut down Liddell and Branham and tries to make the other Buckeyes produce enough offense to win the game.

Kyle Young chips in 8.3 points and five rebounds. Zed Key adds 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds. Jamari Wheeler averages 7.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists and hits 38.9% from 3.

Ohio State certainly presents a strong challenge, and whoever advances to the Sweet 16 will have earned it. The game is scheduled for a 2:40 p.m. tipoff on CBS.