EAST LANSING, Mich. -- When Ohio State woke up this morning and prepared to face No. 2 Michigan State, it faced a golden opportunity.
After somehow playing their way onto the NCAA tournament bubble with a home win against No. 8 Iowa six days earlier, the Buckeyes could likely punch their ticket to the postseason with a win against the Spartans. Easier said than done, yes, but still a chance.
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Now after a 91-76 loss that wasn’t really that close, the Buckeyes have to face the reality that anything sort of a Big Ten tournament title will almost certainly drop them to the NIT for only the second time in coach Thad Matta’s 12 years in the program.