When you think of Ohio State and Michigan, your thoughts will more than likely turn to the Big House, the Horseshoe, and college football. But this afternoon, those two teams will lock horns for the right to advance to the finals of the 2011 Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State got here on the strength of their 67-61 overtime victory against Northwestern yesterday, while the Wolverines defeated Illinois 60-55.
At Along the Olentangy, SB Nation's Ohio State site, the fans of the scarlet and gray like their chances.
I was confident about yesterday's game against Northwestern, and my confidence turned out to be misplaced. I'm confident about this game, but for more concrete reasons than an athleticism advantage. Michigan has to shoot absurdly well to account for their rebounding and free throw rate deficiencies, and that's a tough task against the Buckeye defense.
Over at Maize n Brew, they're pretty happy to be in the NCAA Tournament after being on the bubble for so long.
Yesterday was a great day for Michigan. They won a critical bubble game against a bubble team in Illinois. They significantly improved their NCAA Tournament resume even with other bubble teams pulling off upsets. How much? They jumped 6 spots in RPI, and now sit comfortably at 50th. Michigan's Strength of Schedule remains 17th, but after playing Ohio State today, that will likely jump as well.
This one will tip off at 12:40 PM Central time, and you can see all the action on CBS.