The Buckeyes are back home on Sunday in a must-win game against Michigan State.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State basketball looks for its first Big Ten win on Sunday when it hosts Michigan State. Here's everything you need to know before tip-off:
GAME INFORMATION
Who: Michigan State Spartans (12-6, 4-1 Big Ten) at Ohio State Buckeyes (10-7, 0-4).
When: Sunday, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Value City Arena (18,809).
TV: CBS, with Carter Blackburn and Bill Raftery on the call.
Twitter: Follow cleveland.com's Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises for updates from the game.
Series record: Michigan State leads the all-time series vs. Ohio State 72-57, but the Buckeyes are 37-24 in Columbus. Seven of the last 12 meetings have been decided by four points or less, but Michigan State beat Ohio State three times last year (including the Big Ten Tournament) by an average of 20 points.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Michigan State: G Tum Tum Nairn (Jr., 5-10, 4.3 ppg); G Josh Langford (Fr., 6-5, 6.2 ppg); G Eron Harris (Sr., 6-3, 12.4 ppg); G/F Miles Bridges (Fr., 6-7, 14.5 ppg); F Nick Ward (Fr., 6-8, 13.6 ppg).
Ohio State: G JaQuan Lyle (Soph., 6-5, 11.7 ppg); G Kam Williams (Jr., 6-2, 10.4 ppg); F Marc Loving (Sr., 6-7, 11.2 ppg); F Jae'Sean Tate (Jr., 6-4, 14.2 ppg); C Trevor Thompson (Jr., 7-0, 10.7 ppg).
MICHIGAN STATE NOTES
The Spartans are coming off a 65-47 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night ... Michigan State freshman star Miles Bridges missed seven games in December due to injury. This will be his fourth game back, and he scored 16 points in the first half in the win over Minnesota ... Big Ten opponents have shot 39.1 percent from the field, which is the best defensive field goal percentage in conference play. Every Spartans opponent has been held under 47 percent shooting this year ... Spartans coach Tom Izzo is 27-14 in his career against Ohio State ... Michigan State is No. 12 in the Big Ten in scoring offense (72.3 ppg) and No. 6 in field goal percentage (47.3 percent) ... The Spartans are No. 8 in the Big Ten in scoring defense (66.7 ppg) and No. 4 in field goal percentage defense (39 percent).
Listen to our latest Buckeye Talk Podcast (recorded before the Wisconsin game) about the state of Ohio State basketball:
OHIO STATE NOTES
The Buckeyes are 0-4 in Big Ten play, coming off their worst loss of the season, an 89-66 loss to Wisconsin on Thursday ... Ohio State is -6.4 in rebounding margin during Big Ten play ... Ohio State allowed 28 second-chance points and 21 offensive rebounds against Wisconsin. In Big Ten play, the Buckeyes are -34 in second-chance points, and -18 in offensive rebounding ... Big Ten opponents have made nearly 40 percent of their 3-point attempts against the Buckeyes ... Ohio State is No. 11 in the conference in scoring offense (73.8 ppg) and No. 7 in field goal percentage (46.9 percent) ... The Buckeyes are No. 9 in the Big Ten in scoring defense (66.9 ppg) and No. 5 in field goal percentage defense (39.5 percent).
PREDICTION
Bill's pick: Ohio State 68, Michigan State 65. The thinking is that Wisconsin was a complete letdown under the weight of a losing streak. The Buckeyes need a win, like desperately need a win. At home against a young team, Ohio State shouldn't come out flat like it did against the Badgers. Defense and rebounding are the things that can get Ohio State back on track. A team that starts four juniors and a senior, in need of a win, should come ready to play against a team that starts three freshmen. If they don't, strap in for a long season.