No. 4 Michigan State to face No. 13 Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament
The Michigan State men’s basketball team earned the No. 4 seed and the coveted double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. MSU will begin play in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament on Friday against No. 13-seed Ohio State. The game is scheduled to tip off at approximately 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Ohio State defeated Iowa by a final score of 73-69 on Thursday to advance to the next round of the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan State swept Ohio State this season, dominating the Buckeyes 62-41 in Columbus and defeating OSU 84-78 in East Lansing on senior day, MSU’s most recent game.
Ohio State struggled this season, but is playing better as of late. The Buckeyes currently stand at 15-18 overall, but had a record of just 5-15 in the Big Ten in the regular season, which placed them 13th out of 14 teams, ahead of only Minnesota. However, OSU has won four of its last five games, including victories in the Big Ten Tournament over Wisconsin and Iowa in back-to-back days. The Buckeyes’ only loss in that five-game stretch was to Michigan State.
Heading into Thursday’s game versus Iowa, the Buckeyes ranked sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 72.9 points per game, but ranked just 10th in points per game allowed at 69.0. Ohio State is third in the league in team field goal percentage at 46.3% and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage at 36.0%. Defensively, OSU ranks 10th in the conference in field goal percentage allowed (42.8%) and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage allowed (32.3%). The Buckeyes are tied for fifth in the league in rebounding (36.5 per game) and fourth in rebounds allowed per game (33.0).
Ohio State is led by head coach Chris Holtmann and star freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh. Sensabaugh averages 16.3 points per game, which leads the team, and he also grabs 5.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 48% overall and 41% from 3-point range. Redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing (12.2 points per game) and freshman guard Bruce Thornton (10.1 points per game) also help the Buckeyes offensively with junior forward Zed Key out for the rest of the season due to injury.
Michigan State finished the regular season with a 19-11 overall record and an 11-8 mark in conference play, playing one less game than Ohio State due to the cancellation of the Minnesota game following the tragic events that took place in East Lansing on Feb. 13.
The Spartans ranked just ninth in Big Ten in scoring during the regular season at 70.6 points per game, but have averaged 87.5 points per game in the team’s last four contests, going 3-1 in that stretch. Michigan State ranked seventh in points per game allowed at 67.4, but allowed an average of 80.5 points in the final four games of the regular season.
MSU is in the eighth spot of the league in team field goal percentage at 45.2%, but is first in 3-point field goal percentage at 40.1%. Meanwhile, the Spartans rank sixth in the conference in field goal percentage allowed (42.0%) and second in 3-point field goal percentage allowed (30.9%). MSU is eighth in the league in rebounding (35.7 per game) and third in rebounds allowed per game (32.6).
Tom Izzo’s squad has three players who average double-digit scoring per game: senior guard Tyson Walker (14.8), graduate senior forward Joey Hauser (14.2) and junior point guard A.J. Hoggard (12.6). Meanwhile, sophomore guard Jaden Akins (9.6) and senior forward Malik Hall (9.5) are right below that mark.
If Michigan State defeats Ohio State, it will play the winner of Friday’s game between Rutgers and Purdue on Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS.