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Michigan State basketball gets third crack at Ohio State in Big Ten tourney

By Connor Muldowney

COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 5: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans outruns a diving Keyshawn Woods #32 of the Ohio State Buckeyes to a loose ball in the second half on January 5, 2019 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan State defeated Ohio State 86-77. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 5: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans outruns a diving Keyshawn Woods #32 of the Ohio State Buckeyes to a loose ball in the second half on January 5, 2019 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan State defeated Ohio State 86-77. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball almost got a third chance at Indiana, but it’ll face Ohio State for the third time this season in the Big Ten tourney quarterfinals.

The Big Ten Tournament has gotten off to an interesting start as Nebraska came back to beat Rutgers on Wednesday and Ohio State built a 20-point lead on Indiana before nearly fumbling it away in the final minutes, but holding on to win by four.

Every Michigan State fan was tuned in for the Ohio State vs. Indiana game with two thoughts. One, if Indiana won, would they have the momentum to beat the Spartans for a third time? And two, if Ohio State hung on, would the Buckeyes finally exact revenge on the Spartans?

The latter is possible as it’s extremely difficult to beat a team three times in one season, but Michigan State did so a year ago against Wisconsin which got it to the Big Ten semifinals.

Tom Izzo knows that his team must play a near-perfect game to beat the Buckeyes for a third time and get to the semifinals again with a chance to win his first Big Ten Tournament since 2016.

Here’s how you can watch Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal matchup with Ohio State:

Date: Friday, March 15
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Venue: United Center
TV: Big Ten Tournament
Live Stream: BTN2Go or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

The team feeds off Cassius Winston offensively, but getting Nick Ward and Xavier Tillman involved in the post will be important. If the Spartans can get Ward some reps coming off his three-week injury absence, it will be huge for title hopes moving forward. On top of that, the half-court offense must be more effective and not just Winston dribbling for 25 seconds and then having him take it to the hole or shooting a three each time. More movement and passing will be necessary.

Kaleb Wesson is back from his suspension, but he’s not even the biggest key for the Buckeyes in this one. The Spartans need to be more focused on guys like C.J. Jackson, Andre Wesson and Keyshawn Woods on Friday. The latter actually went off for 18 points on Indiana in the Buckeyes’ first Big Ten tourney contest, so he could be a major x-factor. Guard the perimeter and hope that Ward and Tillman can slow Wesson down on the inside because he won’t beat the Spartans by himself.

Players to Watch

Michigan State is familiar with Ohio State and the two teams have played a couple of good games this year. This one should be no different with the Buckeyes getting a shot at revenge. Which Buckeyes could give the Spartans problems?

  • Kaleb Wesson: 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 51% FG shooting
  • CJ Jackson: 12.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 38% 3-point shooting
  • Andre Wesson: 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 43% FG shooting
  • Keyshawn Woods: 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists (18 points in Round 1)

Next. 5 takeaways from Big Ten title-clinching win over Michigan. dark

Prediction

Beating a team three times in one season is not easy. The Spartans, however, have what it takes to beat the Buckeyes for a third time and advance to Saturday’s semifinals as long as Tillman continues his rise and Ward shakes off that rust. Defense will be key as the Wesson brothers can’t dominate and Keyshawn Woods will need to be held in check after going off against Indiana. Michigan State wins this one, but not without a little drama with a late Ohio State comeback effort.

Final Score: Ohio State 64, Michigan State 70

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