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Ohio State was able to pull out the victory Thursday night against Penn State to advance to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, where they will face a Michigan State Spartans team that has already beat them twice this season. The two teams have played each other six times in the B1G Tournament, splitting the series 3-3. The Spartans however, are 2-0 in the quarterfinal round against the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes will look for repeat performances from Marc Loving and JaQuan Lyle, who carried the load for Thad Matta's team against the Nittany Lions. The two combined for a total of 46 of the 79 Buckeye points. A hot game from Keita Bates-Diop and/or Kam Williams could be just the thing to carry the Buckeyes over the top, and keeping their extremely slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Michigan State is strictly playing for seeding. Carried by Naismith Player of the Year candidate Denzel Valentine and legendary head coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans are hoping to win out to secure their No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With a plethora of weapons in Bryn Forbes, Matt Costello, Gavin Schilling, Deyonta Davis, and others, the Spartans are set up perfectly for a deep tournament run. The Buckeyes have a tall task Friday night, to say the least.
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How to watch
Game date/time: Friday, Mar. 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: BTN
Online Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: 97.1 The Fan