Value City Arena - Columbus, OH
Tip-off: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET
Line: Ohio State -3.5, Total: 130

No. 22 Michigan State heads to Columbus Sunday to visit Ohio State in Aaron Craft’s final home game at the Value City Arena.

The Spartans (17-12 ATS overall) have battled all season against injuries, but had a healthy team in an 86-76 home victory over Iowa on Thursday in East Lansing. More importantly for Michigan State was the fact that it had the same starting lineup that began the season. Four of the five starters reached double figures, while SF Branden Dawson fell just short with eight points and seven rebounds. Michigan State had a big game shooting the ball from deep, finishing 10-of-17 from the three-point line against the Hawkeyes. SG Travis Trice connected on 3-of-4 from deep as he finished the game with a team-high 17 points off the bench. With the team at full health, the Spartans appear to be getting ready to make a deep run in the tournament, and they are an outstanding 7-2 SU (8-1 ATS) in true road games this season. They are also a strong 12-5 SU (11-6 ATS) in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes (15-14 ATS overall) are headed in the wrong direction with back-to-back losses at Penn State and at Indiana, dropping them to 9-8 (SU and ATS) in Big Ten action. Ohio State is 16-3 SU at home where it outscores visitors by 16.8 PPG, but is just 9-9 ATS in Columbus. The team started out 15-0 and moved up all the way to the No. 3 ranking in the country, but has gone just 7-8 (SU and ATS) in its past 15 contests. That first loss of the season occurred in East Lansing on Jan. 7, as the Spartans were able to escape with the 72-68 victory. The Buckeyes found themselves down double-digits in the second half, but showed tremendous resiliency to come back and force overtime. That win for MSU evens this series at 10-10 SU in the past 20 meetings, with OSU holding the slight 11-9 ATS edge.

Which Big Ten team will head into the conference tournament with a confidence-boosting win? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The StatFox Experts have been rolling in college basketball Best Bets this season with a stellar 59% ATS (250-173-13) mark, including a hefty 61% ATS (218-139-7) record since Nov. 23. StatFox Brian is on an amazing Best Bets run of 26-4-2 (87% ATS) since Jan. 17, is at 74% ATS (51-18-2) since Nov. 26 and a robust 70% ATS (58-25-3) in Best Bets for the season. StatFox Dave is 67% ATS (37-18) since in Best Bets Dec. 18 and 62% ATS (54-33-1) this season, while StatFox Scott is 64% ATS (9-5-1) since Feb. 16 and 57% ATS (49-37-3) for the season. StatFox Gary is 59% ATS (43-30) on Best Bets since Nov. 22 and 55% ATS (47-38-2) for the season.

The Michigan State offense averages 76.5 PPG (52nd in nation) on 47.3% FG (36th in Div. I) and 17.2 APG (6th in nation). The defense isn't too shabby either, grabbing 37.3 RPG (62nd in Div. I) and allowing only 65.7 PPG (68th in nation) on 40.0% FG and 33.1% threes. The Spartans finally have a healthy team, and are looking to get on a hot streak at the exact right time. The duo of SG Gary Harris (17.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.7 APG) and PG Keith Appling (13.2 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.4 RPG) gives the Spartans one of the best backcourts in Division I. Harris is one of the elite scorers in the nation, and has the ability to will his team to a victory on any given night. While he has been inconsistent from the three-point line (35% threes), when he gets going from the outside, look out. Appling, on the other hand, may not have the explosive scoring of Harris, but is as consistent of a guard as you will find, and has shown the ability to hit the big shot from the perimeter (40% threes). Senior PF Adreian Payne (15.8 PPG, 42% threes, 7.5 RPG) and SF Branden Dawson (9.9 PPG on 59% FG, 8.6 RPG) are back from injuries, and give the Spartans one of the elite frontcourts in all of the country as well. While he is undersized, Dawson is a tremendous rebounder that also will guard the opposing team’s best player. With the starting lineup teaming up with one of the elite coaches in the country in Tom Izzo, the Spartans have everything needed to make a deep run in the tournament. As long as this team can gel throughout the rest of the season, it will be a team that nobody wants to face in the NCAA Tournament. However, while the Buckeyes appear to be safe, they could use another big victory just to not have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday.

One of the biggest problems for Ohio State has been the inability to score. The team currently ranks 212th in the country in scoring (70.0 PPG), and has been even worse in the past two losses with 63.5 PPG. PF LaQuinton Ross (14.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG) is a matchup nightmare for opponents. He has terrific size and athleticism, but he can also hit from the outside. His biggest problem is that he struggles with his consistency, and can get frustrated early. The Spartans are going to throw many different things at him, so he must be patient and not try and force anything. Lenzelle Smith Jr. (11.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG) is another guy that can have a big night scoring from the field, but also has problems being consistent. Senior PG Aaron Craft (9.4 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.5 RPG) is the star of this team, but is a much better defensive player (2.5 SPG) than he is on the offensive side of the court. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8, which he must improve on as the Buckeyes go deeper into this season. The team has struggled in many facets this season, ranking 136th in the country in field goal percentage (45.0% FG), while ranking 235th in the country in assists (12.0 APG). Another big problem has been on the glass, as the team ranks 234th on the backboards (33.7 RPG). In the first game against the Spartans, the Buckeyes did a tremendous job on the glass, outrebounding Michigan State by 14. If the Buckeyes are able to dominate the glass like they did in the first matchup, then they will have a great chance of getting the victory.