Ohio State and Xavier look for Sweet 16 spot Saturday

The march of the Ohio State Buckeyes towards the national championship continues after dismantling Central Connecticut State, 78-57.

Ohio State Buckeyes leader Greg Oden had a monster game as usual, dropping a double-double performance of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Greg Oden was simply intimidating as he grabbed the basketball off the backboard, slammed it down hard and screamed like a crazed gladiator.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of four NCAA College Basketball teams who earned the No.1 seed in the 2007 March Madness bracket tournament. And it's all because of Greg Oden and his unbelievable freshman year. Yep, you read it, the guy is only a freshman.

Now, these Buckeyes have the Xavier Musketeers next as both teams will try to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 on Saturday.

Greg Oden finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season as the Buckeyes won their 18th straight game. Ohio State will play Xavier in the second round after the Musketeers beat BYU 79-77.

''The big thing was to just take my chances when I got it,'' Oden said. ''I'm trying to play stronger. It's going to help me a lot in the long run.''

''He's a lot bigger, a lot more athletic and a lot more agile than I thought he would be,'' CCSU forward Obie Nwadike said. ''He changes a lot of shots. He makes a big impact even when he doesn't have the ball because you have to find him.'' And what an impact Greg Oden had in the game indeed, taking him less than five minutes to help the Buckeyes build a double digit lead they will never relinquish.

''We didn't want to come out sluggish,'' Buckeyes guard Jamar Butler said. ''Our main thing was to push the intensity, push the tempo, have it in our favor, not in theirs, at the start of the game.''

Can the Ohio State Buckeyes win the NCAA College Basketball championship? Here are some odds from Bodog sportsbook.

Florida Gators 9/2

Ohio State Buckeyes 8/1

North Carolina Tar Heels 5/1

UCLA Bruins 8/1

Crazy about this year's March Madness? Visit OddsHQ for more NCAA College Basketball odds.

March Madness Bracket, Ohio State Buckeyes