Michigan State and Ohio State will meet for the first time on the hardwood this season Sunday on CBS in a pivotal Big Ten showdown with NCAA Tournament seeding and conference championship implications on the line. The two teams enter the day having won earlier in the week — Michigan State over UCLA and Ohio State over Wisconsin, respectively — setting up what should be a terrific matchup from East Lansing.

Michigan State has been tough to beat on its homecourt this season, but it has not been infallible. It is 13-2 in games played in the Breslin Center, with both losses coming to teams ranked inside the top five. That should inspire at least a little confidence in the Buckeyes, who are in desperate need of stringing together some momentum after alternating between wins and losses in their last nine outings.

Ohio State vs. Michigan State: Need to know

Big Ten title hopes: Michigan State enters Sunday 3.5 games back of Michigan in the Big Ten standings and likely needs to run the regular-season table to be in contention for a conference title. Given the way the Wolverines have played, it seems farfetched, but the Spartans can’t lose sight of the goal against a Buckeyes team that could be easy to overlook if not taken seriously. 

Consistently inconsistent: Ohio State has alternated between winning and losing in its last nine games dating back more than a month, proving to be consistent only in its inconsistency. A win Sunday would be its first two-game winning streak since mid-January. It is coming off an 86-69 home win over Wisconsin.

Fearsome Fears: Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. leads all of college basketball in assists per game (9.3) and also leads his team in minutes and points per game with 31.6 and 15.1, respectively. He’s made a significant jump in production from last season and is coming off his fourth consecutive double-double in which he had 16 points and 10 assists in an 82-59 win over UCLA.

Where to watch Ohio State vs. Michigan State live

Date: Sunday, Feb. 22 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Breslin Center — East Lansing, Michigan
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium  

Ohio State vs. Michigan State prediction, pick

Odds below via FanDuel Sportsbook

Michigan State’s 13-2 at home this season and 7-5-1 against the spread as home favorites. I’m taking the Spartans to win and would probably lay the points with them as they prep for their penultimate home game of the season. The way Fears has played of late should inspire confidence, but more than that, this Michigan State team has leveled up defensively, too. If they can find a way to slow Bruce Thornton they can win — and perhaps handily. Pick: Michigan State -9 

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