Big Ten Tournament 2012: Ohio State Will Cruise Past Michigan to the Finals

Jared Sullinger and the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (26-6) will earn a berth in their fourth consecutive Big Ten Tournament Championship Game with a win over the No. 13 Michigan Wolverines (24-8) on Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS). 

The two Midwest rivals split the regular-season series, with each team winning on their home floor. Both squads are in the midst of separate three-game winning streaks that have landed them in the tourney semifinals.

Super Buckeye sophomore Sullinger will be the difference on Saturday afternoon, however. He leads Ohio State in scoring, rebounding and blocks, averaging 17.3 PPG and 9.4 RPG. 

The Buckeyes' superb defense has also given the Wolverines problems this season, as they held Michigan to just 52.5 points per game in their two previous meetings. 

Ohio State is also one of the best shooting teams in the nation. The Buckeyes rank 12th in field-goal percentage, shooting 48.6 percent from the field this year behind the strength of Sullinger's 54.4 percent field-goal shooting. 

Although Michigan won a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship with Ohio State and Michigan State, the Wolverines lack the efficiency to beat the Buckeyes two out of three times and even once on a neutral floor.

The Wolverines needed overtime to edge Minnesota, who went 6-12 in the Big Ten this season, on Friday. Meanwhile, Ohio State crushed Purdue by 17 to roll into their semifinal matchup with Michigan.

With a fresh, sour-tasting February loss in the minds of Ohio State's players, expect the Buckeyes to take the grudge match against Michigan Saturday afternoon in Indy.