Ohio State’s first meeting with Michigan State may have been its lowest point of the season.
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State (18-11, 10-8 B1G) | Breslin Center | Noon | ESPN |
The Buckeyes suffered a 21-point defeat on their home floor, their largest deficit of the season at the time, and the 41 points Ohio State mustered was its lowest single-game total in 27 years. Following the Feb. 12 loss, the Buckeyes’ six-game skid marked a dubious record in Chris Holtmann’s tenure.
Three losses later, though, Ohio State pulled itself together. The Buckeyes have now won back-to-back games by double-digit margins and even without Zed Key, they suddenly look like the team that entered 2023 with a world of potential. Ohio State turned things around with a 72-60 win over Illinois on Sunday and garnered more momentum with a 73-62 victory against Maryland three days ago.
“Obviously, for the last maybe week-and-a-half, two weeks, I do feel like we've played better,” Holtmann said Wednesday. “So maybe across the board our confidence is higher as a group.”
Now the Buckeyes finish the regular season on the road against a Spartan team that already had their number once, and has only lost two games at home all year. Michigan State is 2-2 since beating the Buckeyes but has won two of its past three, including a 15-point win over then-No. 17 Indiana on Feb. 21.
Need to Know
Four straight losses in final regular-season game
Holtmann hasn’t won the final game of a regular season since his first year with the program. It took double overtime for the Buckeyes to beat Indiana on the road to close the 2017-18 regular season, but they’ve come up emptyhanded in every such contest since then. Ohio State lost in overtime to Wisconsin at home on March 10, 2019, fell at Michigan State on March 8, 2020, suffered a five-point defeat to Illinois on March 6, 2021, and stumbled at home against Michigan to close the regular season last March. The Buckeyes hope to buck that trend on Saturday, but they certainly aren't favored to do so.
Spartans fighting for tournament seeding
Ohio State is already locked in as the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but Michigan State could climb as high as No. 3 or slide as low as No. 9 based on this weekend's results. Sitting at 10-8 in conference play, the Spartans are eighth in the Big Ten standings. Above them, six teams all have 11-8 records with one game left. While it may not be the likeliest outcome, a double-bye in the conference tournament (fourth seed and up) is still within the realm of possibility for Michigan State, and a second win over Ohio State gives it a chance to get there.
Akins an X-factor for MSU
Despite starting for most of the season for Michigan State, second-year guard Jaden Akins only averaged 8.7 points per game while shooting less than 40% from the field until this past week. Having never scored more than 15 points in a game, Akins dropped 21 points against Iowa and followed that up with 17 in a win over Nebraska. Akins is 9-for-13 from 3-point range in that stretch, and after going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first matchup with Ohio State, he could be flying under the radar on the Buckeye scouting report.
Three Important Buckeyes
Justice Sueing
Sueing was the star of Senior Night as he led the Buckeyes with 16 points against Maryland, scoring 13 in the second half alone. On a night when Ohio State went 20-for-20 from the free-throw line, Suing hit eight of those by himself. Sueing also nailed the dagger three in the final few minutes to put the Terps away, and he’s now strung together standout performances in back-to-back games.
“He's had his struggles. We've all had our struggles,” Holtmann said. “And for the last good bit here, I didn't think he played great in the Purdue game, but after that, I think he's played pretty well. And he just has a good way about him right now.”
.@JusticeSueing showed out in front of the family pic.twitter.com/t3JB3u5eGa
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) March 2, 2023
Isaac Likekele
Likekele fouled out with 6:33 to play on Wednesday, but he had already done enough to finish with one of his best performances in a Buckeye uniform. Likekele didn’t miss a shot against Maryland, going 3-for-3 to score nine points in the first half and ending his night with 11 in just 23 minutes. Likekele also led the Buckeyes with four assists and made multiple key plays on defense as well. Holtmann wanted Likekele to get more aggressive on offense, and the Oklahoma State transfer delivered against the Terrapins.
Felix Okpara
Spectators got a glimpse into the freshman center’s potential future on Wednesday. Okpara finished with a career-high 12 points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds, turning in his second double-double of the season in an impactful performance on both sides of the ball. Okpara also blocked three shots and logged his most minutes of the season (31). Okpara didn’t score at all in the first matchup with Michigan State, but the Buckeyes will likely need him to if they hope to win on Saturday.
“We've been saying, 'OK, we're starting to see this with Felix.' Like, what he can be,” Holtmann said. “It's pretty impressive.”
Lobs to @Felixokpara24 give me life pic.twitter.com/xoQXmEYmRT
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) March 2, 2023
Three Important Spartans
Tyson Walker
| Player | Position | Height | Weight | Season Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TYSON WALKER | G | 6-0 | 162 | 14.8 PPG, 2.7 APG |
| JADEN AKINS | G | 6-4 | 180 | 9.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG |
| A.J. HOGGARD | G | 6-3 | 220 | 12.2 PPG, 6.1 APG |
| JOEY HAUSER | F | 6-9 | 220 | 14.1 PPG, 7 RPG |
| MADY SISSOKO | C | 6-9 | 235 | 5 PPG, 6.2 RPG |
Michigan State’s leading scorer had a relatively subdued outing in the first meeting with Ohio State, finishing with 10 points and three assists. In the four games since then, though, the Northeastern transfer has averaged 21 points per game and hit nearly 58% of his 3-point attempts. Walker has scored at least 19 points in each of the past three games and led the Spartans to wins in two of them.
Joey Hauser
Hauser went off for 22 points in the first matchup, tying his second-most of the season, and he hasn’t slowed down since. After hitting six of his nine 3-point attempts against the Buckeyes, Hauser’s averaged 18 points per game on 53.3% shooting from beyond the arc in the subsequent four contests. Four of Hauser’s last six performances have been 20-point outings, and Ohio State must avoid another one on Saturday.
A.J. Hoggard
The 6-foot-3 guard was something of a nonfactor on Feb. 12, but despite a slow start in the first four games of February, Hoggard has turned the corner as of late. Hoggard scored 22 points against Indiana on Feb. 21, dropped 15 points and seven assists versus Iowa the next time out and is fresh off a 10-point, 14-assist effort against Nebraska.
How it Plays Out
Line: MSU -7.5, O/U: 139.5
Ohio State exacted revenge upon teams it previously lost to in each of the past two games, but I think that streak ends Saturday as the Spartans haven't stumbled in East Lansing in a month-and-a-half.
Prediction: MSU 73, OSU 67
