Basketball Preview: #3 Ohio State vs. #12 Michigan State

Time for the stretch to March Madness Seven games left before the B1G tourney. All of them big. But today's matchup at the Schott is perhaps the biggest home test left for these young Bucks. Eleventh-ranked Michigan State brings the two headed big man attack known as Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne to bear against Jared Sullinger. Besides control over the Big Ten conference race, another thing is at stake: The Streak. 39 home wins in a row, to be precise, one of the longest such streaks currently active. The Buckeyes have the home crowd as a decisive sixth man. But Tom Izzo's teams know how to walk into hostile environments and come out victorious. Even though the Buckeyes (21-3, 9-2 Big Ten) will still have six conference tilts left after the game, coach Thad Matta knows a head-to-head matchup with the closest pursuer is important because of the balance throughout the league. It was good to see William Buford with the hot hand Tuesday against Purdue. He's been getting ...