Records
Ohio State 19-13 (9-12), Michigan State 25-6 (16-4)
Broadcast, TV, Game Time
Date: Friday, March 15
Game Time: 12:30 PM
Venue: United Center, Chicago, IL
Network: BTN | You can also tune in online with FuboTV. (Try it for free)
Well, that was fun.
Ohio State got a big monkey off its back with Kaleb Wesson inserted back into the lineup. It beat an Indiana team to put itself in great shape for selection to the NCAA Tournament, but the journey is not over. Next up is No. 1 seed Michigan State that will pose yet another huge challenge.
Hopefully the Buckeyes won’t rest on the satisfaction of winning a game in the Big Ten Tournament and looking ahead to the Big Dance, but continues as a motivated team on a mission.
The Spartans would love to keep things rolling and get a tournament title to go along with the tie for the regular-season, while Ohio State can play the us against the world card.
Next … The Ohio State Game Plan
Ohio State cliff notes gameplan
The Buckeyes have figured out they can run and press in spots during games out of necessity with Wesson being out of the lineup, but that’s not the way to go against Michigan State. You don’t want to speed up a team that already likes to play fast.
Instead, Ohio State has to make this a half-court game, keep the pace somewhere in the 60s and play outstanding man-to-man defense against a team that can score from multiple spots on the floor.
Push the ball when the opportunities present themselves, but be very purposeful and patient on offense, while working hard on the boards against a Spartan team that gets after it in rebounding.
And yes, play through Wesson on the offensive end, and get back in transition to limit the Spartans easy baskets they like to cherry pick.
Next … Key Player And Prediction
Key Player For Ohio State
Keyshawn Woods. Of course Kaleb Wesson will be huge in this one, but Ohio State beat Indiana because of the play of the senior guard Thursday. He’s been missing in action a lot this year, but when he’s confident and looking to make plays with sound judgement, this team can play with anyone. The Buckeyes will need that same presence today. Limit turnovers, make some plays on the offensive end and get everyone else involved.
How It’ll All Go Down
Can Ohio State catch lightning in a bottle? It played one of its best games of the year against Indiana and has played well against the Spartans for twenty minutes on the previous two occasions, but hasn’t been able to put an entire game together. The Buckeyes have found a little more on the perimeter with Wesson being out, and will keep this one closer than the previous two games, but the Spartans have more weapons and more depth. Sparty wins a tough battle to move on.
Final Score
Michigan State 74, Ohio State 66
Line
Michigan State -11.5
