TULSA – Friday night's game between the Buckeyes and Cyclones really may end up coming down to who can impose their style of basketball on the opposing team. Iowa State would love to get a game into the 80s where the Buckeyes might prefer something in the 60s with defense leading the way.

That does not mean that Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann is not going to encourage his players to get out on the break in transition and try and score points, but this Iowa State team is built much more for an up-and-down type of game compared to the No. 11 seed Buckeyes.

"If the game is in the 90s or the 100s, that might be difficult for us," Holtmann said on Thursday during open media interviews.

The Buckeyes only broke the 90-point barrier twice this season on offense and the last time that the Buckeyes gave up 90-plus points was last year in the NCAA Tournament against Gonzaga, a game that the Buckeyes led with five minutes to go before ultimately falling 90-84 with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.

It may be unlikely that the Cyclones get to 90 points on the Buckeyes but it is absolutely possible that the Iowa State offense could overwhelm the Ohio State defense if everyone does not do their job on the court and if the Ohio State offense is off to a slow start, a deep hole could be dug early and the Buckeyes could spend the remainder of the game trying to dig out of it.

"I would say they are probably if not the best offensive team that we have played all year, they are right up there," Holtmann added. "With how they are playing, I think they may be the most explosive offensive team we are playing. I think the reality is that we will be aggressive in transition when we have opportunities."

The last three game for Ohio State have been atypical in terms of points allowed with all three games seeing the Buckeyes give up points in the 70s. During Ohio State's best run of the season, the Buckeyes were giving up 61.9 points per game to start of the year. Granted, 11 of those 13 games were out of conference contests but the Buckeyes went 12-1 and had wins over Cincinnati, Creighton, UCLA, Illinois and Minnesota during that stretch.

If the Buckeyes are to have a shot in this one, the defense is going to have to muddy things up.

"We got to make sure we bring our defensive hat tomorrow and be ready for anything," guard C.J. Jackson said. "We know offensively they play well together, they have really good chemistry and had an unbelievable year, especially in the Big 12. We got to come ready and prepared and prepare our game plan for the rest of tonight and tomorrow, we should be ready."

The Buckeyes respect what the Cyclones bring to the game but are not going to come into the game afraid and tight.

"We just got to bring our defense on the road, and our defense is going to lead us to a win -- to win this game," guard Keyshawn Woods added. "As long as we do, live up to our defensive principles and stick to those, we'll be fine."

It is a 12-hour drive from Columbus (Ohio) to Tulsa where it is half that from Ames (Iowa) to the venue. There will significantly more cardinal and gold versus scarlet and gray and even with the Buckeyes being the lower-seeded team, a brand name like Ohio State rarely curries much favor with the unaffiliated in a game like this.

Challenges of playing on the road or at a neutral site aside, that is only one of many concerns with what Friday night's game (9:50pm EDT – TBS) might bring.

"Their length is a concern, a real concern," Holtmann added. "I think our guys have got to be aware how good they are offensively, the fact that it is going to be a road environment and really anticipate a road environment, but their length is right up there at the top of the list. They get a lot of deflections and they get a lot of steals and their ability to finish at the rim using their length is impressive."

It goes without saying that Kaleb Wesson's presence will mean a lot too and his being on the bench with foul trouble is not a path to victory for the upset-minded Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes will be the bigger team in terms how a Big Ten team and a Big 12 team match-up. It has already been mentioned that the Iowa State guards have great size and reach but finding an answer on the other end to slow down Wesson may not exist on the Iowa State bench, even with reinforcements for Ben Jacobson coming off the bench.

"They are a little bit undersized, so rebounding is going to be a big emphasis for the whole team, not just me," Wesson said. "Their guards attack, so we are going to have to defend them."

The rebounding edge is negligible between the two teams with Iowa State averaging less than half a rebound more per game than the Buckeyes.

Iowa State is favored on paper but any outcome in this game really would not come as a great surprise with both teams showing moments of excellence and mediocrity during the season. If the Buckeyes can slow down that offense, they stand a good chance to pulling off the upset.

"It is going to take all five guys on the court to stop them," guard Musa Jallow said. "I have to be ready to guard whoever is out there and whoever is getting hot. Just be ready for the opportunity."