You've made it to Pride and Pettiness.
We're still living in tough times. Some people like to cope by looking back at happy memories. I, personally, like to revisit moments of satisfying pettiness.
My philosophy is simple. From Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice:
For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?
That we do, Jane. After faltering late in what was arguably the game of the year against Michigan on Sunday, Ohio State looks to bounce back against Michigan State Thursday evening.
The Spartans started the season hot and ascended to the No. 4 spot the Buckeyes currently hold, but a rocky conference slate saw them tumble out of the rankings. Back-to-back wins over Indiana and No. 5 Illinois suggest Michigan State is finding its bearings, however, so the Spartans present a solid test for an Ohio State team looking to get back on track.
It's a strange, abnormal matchup. Tom Izzo's squad typically spearheads the conference title race, but Michigan State is looking to play the role of spoiler.
With that said, let's go back a few years to when the Buckeyes and Spartans traded blows in the race for conference supremacy.
The Setup
On March 4, 2012, Michigan State hosted Ohio State for the final game of the regular season — and it was Senior Day for Draymond Green and Austin Thornton.
The Buckeyes limped into the matchup after dropping three of the previous six games, with one of those losses coming against the Spartans.
But the back-and-forth affair shaped into a thriller. Michigan State looked like it was in command early, building a 15-point lead in the first half. Ohio State chipped away behind strong performances from Jared Sullinger and William Buford, both of whom had tough outings in the previous matchup with the Spartans.
The game was knotted at 70 with under a minute to play, and the always loud and boisterous Green had a chance to put Michigan State on top, but missed badly on an ill-advised fadeaway.
That opened the door for Ohio State to hold the ball and get the final shot up. Aaron Craft dribbled the time down to under 10 seconds near before initiating the play, which had Buford rotating from the corner to take the ball from Craft on a screen.
The play was actually well-defended by Keith Appling, but Buford rose above him and drained the long jumper to give Ohio State a 72-70 lead that would hold with just .8 seconds left on the clock.
The win prevented Michigan State from claiming the regular-season championship outright, as it was forced to share the distinction with Michigan and Ohio State, each of which finished with 13-5 conference records. But more importantly, it soured Michigan State's Senior Day festivities and created a tremendously depressing banner hanging ceremony.
During his Senior Day speech, Green vowed that he and the Spartans would, "go win our championship back," in the Big Ten tournament. It was a promise he delivered on, as Michigan State beat Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament title game 68-64 to earn the outright championship.
The Pettiness
The following season played out very similarly for the Buckeyes and Spartans. The two teams split the regular-season series as Michigan State won a close 59-56 game in East Lansing, countered by a 68-60 Buckeyes victory in Columbus a month later.
Just like the previous season, the two teams met up in the Big Ten tournament, although this time the matchup came in the semifinals. The winner had a huge opportunity, however, as they would be solid favorites over the 4-seeded Wisconsin team that had upset top-seeded Indiana to punch its ticket to the title game.
The game was once again closely contested, but the Buckeyes looked to be asserting control with a 55-47 lead midway through the second half. The Spartans battled back to make it a 57-56 contest but Deshaun Thomas closed things out for Ohio State in the 61-58 win that sent the Buckeyes to the title game.
After the game, Izzo was deflated.
"I am really looking forward to playing somebody else," Izzo said in his postgame press conference. "I'd rather play the Lakers tomorrow instead of these teams we've played recently."
Ohio State went on to beat Wisconsin to win the Big Ten Tournament Championship the following day.
