Ohio St. @ Michigan St. preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 17, 2019 ) Ohio St. 44, Michigan St 62

Top-seeded Michigan State looks to take the first step toward a Big Ten Tournament title to add to its regular-season crown when it takes on eighth-seeded Ohio State in Friday's quarterfinals at the United Center in Chicago. The No. 7 Spartans have won seven of their last eight, while the Buckeyes snapped a three-game losing streak with a second-round victory over Indiana on Thursday, but are 0-2 against Michigan State this season.

Coach Tom Izzo's squad is run by junior point guard Cassius Winston (19.0 points, 7.6 assists, 41.3 percent 3-point shooting), the league's Player of the Year, though there are scoring options all through the Spartans' lineup. One big plus for Michigan State is the return of junior forward Nick Ward (15.1 points, 6.7 rebounds) after he missed five games with a broken hand - suffered against the Buckeyes - though the team's second-leading scorer will likely come off the bench to work his way back into the lineup. Ohio State got its own boost with the return of leading scorer Kaleb Wesson (14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds), who had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks against the Hoosiers after he served a three-game suspension for violating athletic department policy. Guard C.J. Jackson (12.3 points, 3.5 assists) will be a key against the Spartans in running his team's offense and putting defensive pressure on Winston.

TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (25-6): There was some talk around the program that maybe the team would be better served not going all out for the Big Ten Tournament to give the team's players some rest and time to heal from nagging injuries going into the NCAA Tournament. But Izzo is a competitor, and the return of Ward adds to the team's desire to go all out and regain its chemistry. The club went 4-1 with sophomore Xavier Tillman in the starting lineup in place of Ward, and Izzo will use whatever games the team has in Chicago to try to determine his best rotation of big men with a healthy Ward.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (19-13): After averaging 56 points in its three games without Wesson, Ohio State put it all together offensively in the win over Indiana, totaling 79 points with four players scoring in double figures. Senior guard Keyshawn Woods, who came into the contest averaging 7.1 points, led the way with 18 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals - his fourth double-figure scoring game in the last six contests. Against a Michigan State defense that will likely try to guard Wesson with one defender rather than double-team, players that can create shots will be vital, and Woods - who is second on the team with 2.5 assists - could be such a player.

TIP-INS

1. Winston is the fourth player in Spartans history with at least 1,200 points (1,266) and 600 assists (659), joining Scott Skiles, Denzel Valentine and Mateen Cleaves.

2. The Buckeyes are 4-0 when Wesson records a double-double this season.

3. Michigan State is the only Big Ten team with five tournament titles, earning two (1999, 2012) as the top seed.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 82, Ohio State 70