The Ohio State Buckeyes (23-8, 10-8 Big Ten) will try to enhance their NCAA Tournament seeding today in the Big Ten tournament, where they've traditionally succeded at a high level. They'll begin their quest against the Purdue Boilermakers (15-16, 5-13 Big Ten) who have no chance at the Big Dance unless they can miraculously win the conference's automatic bid. Watch the game on the Big Ten Network, or live stream it here free. OSU fans can find the radio broadcast on Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan, while Purdue fans can hear the action on WCYM 95.7 FM.
Ohio State has won five consecutive Big Ten tourneys, and they'll need a significant run to earn a big-time seed this season after a surprisingly underwhelming regular season campaign.
"I've had a lot of coaches call me and ask," Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. "But in terms of preparation, in terms of pregame speeches, in terms of what we eat, it's always the same." Their motivation hasn't changed with seeding on the line, however, said forward Sam Thompson.
"We're looking for the same thing we look for every year -- win the Big Ten championship," Thompson said. "Our goals haven't changed because of our seed or because of losses in the regular season."
A big part of those runs was leader Aaron Craft, who earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors this season; he's also known as one of the most clutch players in the conference.
"They're capable of winning the Big Ten tournament," coach Matt Painter said of the Buckeyes. "We know how good they are and we just have to do a better job of not beating ourself." The Boilermakers will need to tighten up their defense in a major way to win today, as they surrender 71 points per game on average and have dropped six straight games.
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