Big Ten Tournament 2012: Most Intriguing Matchups to Watch for in Title Game

Here's a look at the most intriguing matchups to watch as Ohio State takes on Michigan State for the Big Ten tournament championship. 

Who Will Control the Glass?

The Spartans love to crash the offensive glass, as evidenced by their 37.5 offensive rebound percentage. That number is first in the Big Ten.

Ohio State, on the other hand, is first in the conference in terms of defensive rebounding. It's the classic unstoppable force versus immovable object.

Or something like that.

In MSU's win over Ohio State, it grabbed 10 offensive rebounds. In its loss, it grabbed just five. 

A sub-matchup here will be Draymond Green vs. Jared Sullinger. Both are Top 15 players in the country, and it will be interesting to see who can control the paint.

Will Michigan State Be Able to Score From Deep?

The Spartans don't necessarily rely on the three, but they shoot it well at 36.4 percent. When they need to, guys like Green and Brandon Wood can really knock down the long ball.

In what figures to be a close game, hitting some timely threes should be key.

On the other side of the ball, however, the Buckeyes are stingy on the perimeter. They allow opponents to shoot just 31.8 percent from deep, and a large part of that is Aaron Craft, who is one of the nation's best perimeter defenders.

If Craft bothers MSU's guards like he is capable of, Ohio State has a clear advantage.

William Buford

By far, the most important player in this game is Ohio State's William Buford. 

In the Buckeyes' win over Michigan State, Buford dropped 25 and hit the game-winning shot. He could have had more, too, as he was just 7-of-12 from the free-throw line.

In their loss to the Spartans, Buford had four points on just 2-of-12 shooting. 

Freshman Branden Dawson will likely be on Buford when he's in there, and Green might even pick him up on occasion, so that's something to pay attention to.

When Buford is off, Ohio State's offense goes with him. The Buckeyes can't just rely on Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas. Buford is their all-important third option, and after him, there aren't a whole lot of weapons.