Seemingly half of Ohio State's roster knows what awaits it today against Michigan State at the Breslin Center, while the other half may be in for a bit of a surprise.
It's one of the most raucous environments in all of college basketball.
“It ranks definitely in the top in the Big Ten. Their student section can get pretty loud. When they score their first basket the arena goes crazy, they start popping things and throwing things in the air," senior center Amir Williams said Friday. "We just have to find ways to continue to play through it."
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State (16-8. 7-4) | Breslin Center | Noon | ESPN |
Because if the 23rd-ranked Buckeyes don't find a way to fight through it, they could take a tumble down the Big Ten standings. That's just how jam-packed things are behind league-leading Wisconsin.
There's no downplaying the magnitude of this one. It's a crucial February swing game for a pair of Big Ten heavyweights.
“From the standpoint of where both teams are in the Big Ten and obviously we only play one time this year so it’s definitely a big game," Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said. "We’ve had some incredible battles over the time that I’ve been at Ohio State and honestly, I kind of look forward to playing these type of games.”
Opponent Breakdown
Michigan State's 2014-15 campaign has been up-and-down to say the least.
The Spartans, usually one of the elite programs in college basketball, have been littered with inconsistency all season. It started with an inexplicable loss to Texas Southern in the non-conference schedule and carried over into Big Ten play. There, Michigan State has gone just 4-3 in the league after starting out 3-1.
The Spartans currently sit at 16-8 and 7-4 in the Big Ten. They're right in the hunt for the No. 2 team in the league, but they're trending the wrong way in the eyes of the NCAA tournament committee. Today's matchup with the Buckeyes in crucial for both of those situations.
Per usual, Michigan State is one of the top rebounding teams in the country this season and also leads the Big Ten. Senior Branden Dawson leads that charge at 9.9 per game, tops in the league.
Dawsen, Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice give the Spartans a trio of double-digit scorers. Valentine leads that charge at 14.4 points per game, while also grabbing over six rebounds and dishing out more than four assists. Trice scores 13.5 points per game and leads the team in assists at 5.4. Dawson is the lone Big Ten player averaging a double-double on the season.
"They pack it in in the key so there’s not a lot of driving opportunities so we know when we do get those opportunities we’ve got to take advantage of them. Just being strong with the basketball around the basket, in the paint, or just whenever," Williams said. "They’ll pressure you a little bit and get up in you so we know we have to be physical with the basketball in our hands and even off the ball as well."
Buckeye Breakdown
Ohio State will get a nice added boost against the Spartans in the return of sophomore forward Marc Loving, who had missed the previous three games due to an unknown suspension. Starting center Anthony Lee, however, remains questionable with a groin injury.
Loving's return means the Buckeyes are getting back their second-leading scorer (11.7 ppg.) and the top 3-point shooter in the country (53.2 percent).
“We know we still got a few games left in the season, we can really make some noise and eventually make a deep run in the tournament. I feel like these few games are going to continue to help us grow as a team.”– Amir Williams
"Marc definitely makes us a better team when he’s out there playing,” Matta said.
Adding Loving back to a team that has already won five of its last six games is certainly a boos. He provides the necessarily floor spacing for D'Angelo Russell and Shannon Scott to operate off dribble penetration.
Russell has been spectacular all season for the Buckeyes. But in Loving's absence Ohio State has gotten solid play from freshman Keita Bates-Diop, who had a career-high 14 points in the Buckeyes' blowout of Rutgers. If he can keep up that level of consistency, it's just another weapon Ohio State can add to its arsenal.
"I saw it as an opportunity with Marc out. I wanted to step up and play well and I did," Bates-Diop said. "Having Marc back, it just makes us a better team and makes us a deeper team so we should be good moving forward.”
Added Matta: "I just like that we’ve added depth."
How It'll Play Out
With the exception of the season finale against Wisconsin, this appears to be the toughest remaining game for the Buckeyes. A win would be a huge step in Ohio State's chase for the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament and a better seed come NCAA tournament time.
With that said, playing at the Breslin Center is never easy. The Buckeyes lost a heartbreaking 72-68 game in overtime there a year ago after a furious rally late in the second half just to get it to an extra period.
How Ohio State handles the Spartans on the glass will go a long way in determining the outcome of this one. If Lee does not play, that puts extra pressure on Williams and Trey McDonald to try and neutralize Michigan State on the boards.
Games like this one are impossible to predict. It's the Buckeyes' third game in six days and a noon tip, so it probably won't be surprising if they get off to somewhat of a slow start. Ohio State hasn't exactly been great at playing from behind this season, either.
To this point, it's probably the most important game of the season for each team.
"This would be a huge victory for us," Williams said. "We know we still got a few games left in the season, we can really make some noise and eventually make a deep run in the tournament. I feel like these few games are going to continue to help us grow as a team.”
