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No. 19 Michigan State faces Ohio St in Big Ten quarterfinals

Mar 14, 2008 - 1:55 PM Ohio St (19-12) vs. No. 19 Michigan St (24-7) 2:30 pm EDT

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) - Last season, Ohio State won its second consecutive Big Ten Conference tournament title on the way to the national championship game.

The Buckeyes face No. 19 Michigan State in Friday's quarterfinals potentially needing to win to get back to the 65-team NCAA field.

"Do I think Ohio State is deserving of being in the tournament? Hands down," Spartans' coach Tom Izzo said. "The problem is our league gets so maligned by people, and for what reason, I don't know."

Ohio State and Michigan State are meeting for the second time in less than a week. The fifth-seeded Buckeyes defeated the fourth-seeded Spartans, 63-54, on Sunday.

"They have to understand the urgency of what's at stake, from the standpoint of you win, you advance, you lose, you go home," coach Thad Matta said of Ohio State.

It will be the third meeting of the season between the teams. Michigan State won the first game at home, 66-60, on January 15.

The Spartans, attempting to win their first conference tournament title since 2000, are hoping to bounce back from a dismal ending to Sunday's loss. Michigan State blew an eight-point halftime lead and was outscored, 15-2, to close out the game while finishing with a season-high 21 turnovers.

The winner faces the Wisconsin-Michigan winner in Saturday's first semifinal.