Spartans and Buckeyes Meet in Big-10 Battle

The Ohio St Buckeyes may be the hottest team in the Big Ten conference. Since losing 3 out of their first 4 game to start conference play, they have responded by going 9-1 over their last 10. Sunday morning they will take on the Michigan St Spartans who are one of the 2 teams that OSU is chasing for the Big-10 regular season title.

One of the reasons for the Buckeyes success thus far has been the outstanding play of junior sensation Evan Turner. Turner was out with an injury for Ohio St’s first 2 conference games that resulted in losses. He burst onto the scene as a sophomore when he averaged over 17 points per game and 7 rebounds. This year Turner has increased his productivity in every category. With 19.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, he has to be considered one of the most complete players in college basketball.

The guard trio of William Buford, Jon Diebler and David Lighty contribute 38 points, 12 rebounds and over 7 assists per game. Now that this team is healthy they will look to cause some damage in the NCAA tournament this season. Expect them to get a mid level seed that may give them the opportunity to sneak up on a few teams that may not respect their ability.

The Spartans suffered a 3 game losing streak in the first week of August that caused them to drop out of the top-5. There is no coincidence that leading scorer Kalin Lucas’ injury during that 3 game span affected State’s play. He has been a leader on and off the floor all season, and has led the team to 2 consecutive wins in his last 2 games back in the starting rotation. Much like the Buckeyes, Michigan St plays a defensive brand of basketball that gets their opposition out of their comfort zone, and forces them into taking bad shots. Raymer Morgan, Durrell Summers and Draymond Green all contribute over 10 points per game, and are tenacious on the defensive end of the floor. Chris Allen and Delvon Roe are key reserves off the bench that contribute quality minutes every game.

They will all need to put forth their best effort if they expect to derail the Buckeyes. Ohio St is coming off of a loss to Purdue earlier this week, and will be focused and ready for this match-up. If you like a true brand of basketball, and can appreciate a solid defensive performance, then you should tune in Sunday morning as two of the best teams in the country collide in what will be an exciting contest.

Related posts:

1. Illinois and Ohio St meet in Big Ten Semi-Finals
2. Round 2 Big Ten Heavyweights: Buckeyes v. Badgers
3. Buckeyes & Boilermakers in Big-10 Top 25 Showdown
4. Big-10 Basketball: #5 Michigan St Spartans v. #16 Wisconsin Badgers
5. Volunteers Take on Red-Hot Buckeyes in Sweet-16

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