Big Ten Tournament 2012: Michigan State Will Run over Ohio State

On the last day of the regular season, the Michigan State Spartans handled the Ohio State Buckeyes for most of the game, but OSU nonetheless came out on top when the final whistle blew.

Now, in the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans get their chance at redemption.

They will get it, and here's why.

Michigan State is Tougher

The Spartans, led by Draymond Green and Adreian Payne, aren't as athletically gifted as the Buckeyes, with big guys like Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas.

But Green, Payne and the rest of this squad just want it more. There are no stats to back up this point, you just have to watch Green and Sullinger play.

It's the eye test.

Green dives on the floor for loose balls, crashes the boards for every rebound and plays every game like his last. Sullinger, on the other hand, shoots fade-aways, gets boxed out on the regular and is constantly arguing calls that don't go his way.

Green is a winner, Sullinger isn't.

That goes a long way come March.

Ohio State Will let Michigan State Get in Transition

This is the Big Ten championship, but neither of these teams really play like they are from the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes average 66.8 possessions per 40 minutes, and the Spartans average 65.6. That's second and fourth in the conference, respectively.

Obviously both teams like to get up and run, but I think it benefits MSU a little more. I say that because Michigan State relies more on the three, but they like to shoot it in transition—not out of the half-court set.

Simply put, both squads are good in the break, but it tends to lead to more threes. More threes is more beneficial for the Spartans, who shoot it much better (36.4 percent vs. 32.8 percent).

Prediction

Michigan State has out-played Ohio State for about 70 of the 80 minutes these two teams have played this season, and that domination will continue.

Spartans 77, Buckeyes 67