Big Ten seeding, bubble hopes at stake as Ohio State visits Indiana

It’s finally a true must-win game when Ohio State plays at Indiana on Saturday in their regular-season finale in Bloomington, Ind.The term is often overused and meaningless until it actually matters. Now it’s March and it matters for the Hoosiers (18-12, 9-10 Big Ten) and the Buckeyes (17-13, 9-10), both nationally and within the conference.Each team is on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and a victory would be invaluable, particularly for the Hoosiers, who would then own the head-to-head after defeating Ohio State 77-76 in overtime on the road on Jan. 17.”This league deserves a lot of teams in the NCAA Tournament,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “If you finish close to .500 in this league, you’re finishing the year with some really impressive wins.”The winner also secures the No. 9 seed for the conference tournament and receives a first-round bye.This will be the final home game for fourth-year coach and former Hoosiers standout Mike Woodson. The school announced Feb. 7 that he was stepping down at the end of the season.Indiana improved its fortunes following the announcement and had won three straight until a 73-64 loss at Oregon on Tuesday in which the Hoosiers were outrebounded by seven, to the chagrin of Indiana assistant coach Brian Walsh.”If you want to win in March, you’ve got to be a little nastier on the boards,” Walsh said.

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