Ohio State vs. Michigan State: Buckeyes Will Clinch No. 1 Seed in NCAA Tourney

With a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance likely at stake, Ohio State needs to continue the momentum it has built throughout this year's Big Ten tournament and do the same thing to Michigan State that it did to Purdue and Michigan.

The Buckeyes, back-to-back defending Big Ten tournament champions, have dominated thus far in this year's conference tournament, taking down their first two opponents by a combined 39 points. And after they steamrolled the Wolverines, everyone's drinking the Ohio State Kool-Aid, even Michigan head coach John Beilein.

After the game, Beilein told the Indianapolis Star's Curt Cavin:

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I've seen some really good teams in what I think is my 20th year as a Division I coach. THat's as good of a game as I've ever seen a college team play. They're tremendous in talent, and what's really good about it is, they play together. There's no selfishness. They make the extra pass. They made the right plays.

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That cohesiveness, that need to play unselfish basketball, is exactly what will allow Ohio State to excel in the Big Dance after they clinch a No. 1 seed with a win over Michigan State in Sunday's championship game. And the whole team recognizes it.

Buckeyes guard Aaron Craft told ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf:

"

We play our best basketball when we don't rely on one person to try to score a lot of points. And we're playing great on the defensive end, and everyone's talking, everyone's into the game. I think we're starting to understand that's where we're at our best and that's what we need to do for however many games we have left to play, just continuing to go out there, have fun, be positive with each other and enjoy it.

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The last time these two teams met was in the regular-season finale on March 4. The Buckeyes' only senior, William Buford, sunk a jumper with one second remaining to give Ohio State the 72-70 win. Now, the top-seeded Spartans must find a way to avenge that loss against a team that is as scary as any heading into the most critical game of the season thus far. There couldn't be more at stake, as the NCAA selection committee is likely to award the winner of the Big Ten title game with a top seed.

If Ohio State has anything to say about it, it certainly won't be Michigan State. After dropping three of five games in February, the Buckeyes have been riding a hard-fought four-game winning streak that's allowed them to show the nation—and, hopefully, the selection committee—why they're deserving of one of those No. 1 seeds in the Big Dance.

They'll get that seed on Sunday. The only thing standing in their way is Michigan State, and the Buckeyes will make sure this matchup against their rival ends the same way the last one did and that this conference title game has the same outcome as the last two.