Basketball Preview: #3 Ohio State vs. #12 Michigan State

Time for the stretch to March Madness

Seven games left before the B1G tourney. All of them big. But today's matchup at the Schott is perhaps the biggest home test left for these young Bucks. 

Eleventh-ranked Michigan State brings the two headed big man attack known as Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne to bear against Jared Sullinger.

Besides control over the Big Ten conference race, another thing is at stake: The Streak. 39 home wins in a row, to be precise, one of the longest such streaks currently active. The Buckeyes have the home crowd as a decisive sixth man. But Tom Izzo's teams know how to walk into hostile environments and come out victorious.

Even though the Buckeyes (21-3, 9-2 Big Ten) will still have six conference tilts left after the game, coach Thad Matta knows a head-to-head matchup with the closest pursuer is important because of the balance throughout the league.

It was good to see William Buford with the hot hand Tuesday against Purdue. He's been getting some heat lately for his lack of clutch shooting. The Bucks will need more Buford today. He put up 23 in last year's only game against the Spartans. Both the Spartans (18-5, 7-3) and the Buckeyes can attest to the B1G being a tough league this year, as they had to overcome struggles against lower teams just this week leading to the showdown.

Basketball Recap: #3 Ohio State 85, Jackson State 41

Buckeye Basketball on a roll

AP - Jared Sullinger had 20 points and 11 rebounds in little more than a half and No. 3-ranked Ohio State used an 18-0 blitz to roll to an 85-41 victory over Jackson State on Friday night.

Deshaun Thomas, William Buford and Jordan Sibert each had 11 points for the Buckeyes (3-0), who were coming off an 81-74 victory over No. 7 Florida, also in the Global Sports Shootout.

All 12 players on the roster saw action, with 11 scoring and all 12 grabbing a rebound.

Kelsey Howard scored 17 points for Jackson State (0-4), which had 26 turnovers.

Down 11-10 in the first half, the Buckeyes scored the next 18 points and never looked back.

Basketball Buckeyes Ranked #3 In Preseason Poll

No soup votes for you

On Wednesday, the Coaches Poll came out, releasing it's Preseason rankings. The Buckeyes (who return Wooden Top 50 players Jared Sullinger, Aaron Craft, and William Buford to the team) were ranked #3, but received no first place votes. That honor was held for North Carolina who received all but 1 first place votes, and looks to compete for the national title behind sophomore Harrison Barnes.

Going now to look at the schedule, I see a pretty tough road for Ohio State, but if they do win these big games, I'm sure voters will place them on top if UNC fails to impress against lower schools. Ohio State faces #10 Florida, #6 Duke, at #13 Kansas, and then a couple of ranked Big Ten conference games.

Coaches Poll Preseason Top Ten
1. North Carolina
2. Kentucky
3. Ohio State
4. Connecticut
5. Syracuse
6. Duke
7. Vanderbilt
8. Louisville
9. Memphis
10. Florida

Your thoughts on where the Buckeyes were placed?

#3 Ohio State Takes On The Hoosiers In Value City Arena

When Indiana (12-16, 3-12) comes to Columbus today, the importance rests not so much on who the opponent is for Ohio State as it does that one more win brings the Buckeyes closer to a conference title. Should Michigan State knock off Purdue earlier in the day, they could clinch a share of the Big Ten title with a win.


Ohio State gets a breather of sorts with a home date against Indiana. The Hoosiers have lost 5 straight and 14 of their last 17 as they continue to battle Iowa for the not-so-coveted Big Ten cellar position. Indiana leads the all-time series 99-73 but OSU holds a 49-34 advantage playing at home. 


Jared Sullinger has been named one of five finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Award, to be given to the National Freshman of the Year. The winner will be announced on April 11. Ohio State is 18-0 at home after its most recent win vs. Illinois last Tuesday. 


The win total equals the school record set by the 2006-07 squad. Since Thad Matta took over Buckeye program in 2004-05, Ohio State is 117-10 in Columbus, the most home wins among Big Ten schools.


This game, I think, will go smoothly, and the Buckeyes should come out on top with a win. 

If The 'Shoe Fits: Podcast #3

Good afternoon faithful readers, we have another podcast today for you. This time Brady is coming in giving his long awaited thoughts. We go over the new Big Ten Logo and Divisions as well as the Heisman, coaching moves, and even a little TCU.

*Note* I say Danny will be joining us, but do to issues, it's just Brady. Next time, promise.

Podcast after the jump