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GAME NOTES: The Big Ten regular season champion Ohio State Buckeyes will open tournament play in a quarterfinal showdown against the eighth-seeded Michigan Wolverines this afternoon in Indianapolis.

The Wolverines moved into the quarterfinals with a 59-52 victory over Iowa on Thursday. It was just the second win in the last six games for Michigan, which has not played in the tournament's title game since 1998.

As for the Buckeyes, they have won this event twice, with the last title coming in 2007. Ohio State has played in three of the last four tournament championship, but lost two of them, including last season's against Purdue. Ohio State, which is ranked fifth in the nation, has won 10 of its last 11 matchups to close out the regular season.

The Buckeyes have won 10 of the last 12 matchups against Michigan, and own a 92-71 edge over the Wolverines in the all-time series. Earlier this season the Wolverines grabbed a 73-64 victory over Ohio State, but the Buckeyes responded with a 66-55 victory over Michigan in late February.

The Wolverines used a tenacious effort at the defensive end of the floor in their opening round win over Iowa, as Michigan held the Hawkeyes to just 52 points. Iowa only shot 39.2 percent against a tough Michigan squad and the Wolverines held the Hawkeyes to just 5-of-20 from behind the arc. Michigan only shot 38.0 percent from the field in the win, but used a 15-of-18 showing from the foul line. Manny Harris scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Michigan, while DeShawn Sims tallied 14 points. Coming into the matchup against Iowa, Harris was leading Michigan with 17.7 ppg, and Sims was posting 16.9 ppg, while also pulling down 7.7 rpg.

The Buckeyes have done a tremendous job at the defensive end of the floor this season and come into this contest, limiting opponents to just 60.4 ppg. Teams are shooting 40.8 percent from the floor against Ohio State, but the Buckeyes are holding opponents to just 34.0 percent shooting from behind the arc. At the other end of the court the team has relied heavily on the play of Evan Turner, who is in consideration for the nation's best player. Turner has been sensational throughout the season, and is leading Ohio State with 19.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg and 146 assists. William Buford is posting 14.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg, while Jon Diebler is netting 12.6 ppg behind a solid 41.9 percent shooting effort from behind the arc.

The Wolverines might have beaten the Buckeyes earlier this season, but at the time Ohio State was without a few players. Now with Turner and company on the court, look for Ohio State to breeze past Michigan.