Both the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans are obviously locks to make the 2012 NCAA Tournament, but Sunday's Big Ten Championship between the two teams still could have major ramifications on this year's tournament bracket. If the Spartans win, it would be hard to imagine them not getting a No. 1 seed after also winning a share of the regular season conference championship. But if the Buckeyes are victorious, they would have a claim to a top seed as well, though it's more likely that both teams would end up as No. 2 seeds.
Sunday's game will be the rubber match between the two, who split the season series in 2012, with both teams winning road games. In the first match up, on Feb. 11, the Spartans defeated the Buckeyes in Columbus 58-48 in a game where Ohio State shot 26% from the field. That victory by Michigan State snapped the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak. The Buckeyes got their revenge, though, in the final game of the season when William Buford hit a fade away jumper in the final seconds to give Ohio State a 72-70 victory over the Spartans in East Lansing.
Game date/time: Sunday, March 11, 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: CBS
Odds: Ohio State by 1.5
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