On Sunday afternoon, basketball fans in both East Lansing and Columbus will have to do something they will probably find distasteful.
They are going to have to cheer for the University of Michigan.
That's how this crazy Big Ten season has ended up — Spartans and Buckeyes having to cheer for Wolverines. If Michigan beats Indiana on Sunday, and MSU and OSU take care of their own business, the conference title will end up in a four-way tie, with the Hoosiers joining the same three schools that shared last year's championship.
Of course, there's one major holdup to this Midwestern party — the second-ranked team in the country. The Hoosiers handled Michigan comfortably last month in Bloomington, and the Wolverines haven't looked the same since.
Michigan went into Assembly Hall with a 20-1 record, and have now won just five of their last nine games. The team that was blowing out everyone they faced for months has just one double-digit victory — a 13-point victory over Illinois — and managed to lose at Penn State.
On the other hand, while it hasn't always been pretty — an overtime win over Ohio State and a one-point victory over Michigan State, both saved by Trey Burke's defense — the Wolverines come into the game with a perfect 17-0 record at the Crisler Center.
The teams come into the game with the two best offenses in the country, so the title might come down to which team can get enough timely stops to make a game-breaking run.
On paper, that's where Indiana has the advantage. They have a pair of two-way stars in Tyler Zeller and Victor Oladipo, and a big-time rebounder in Christian Watford.
Those three will make things tough on Jordan Morgan, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III on both ends of the court, especially if Indiana can get rolling with their devastating fast break.
Morgan and Hardaway, with help from Mitch McGary, will have to keep Zeller and Oladipo from dominating at the rim offensively, and they will have to do it without much help. Teams that try to pack the paint to take away entry passes to Zeller and Oladipo's drives find themselves at the mercy of Jordan Hulls and Watford, both of whom are hitting almost 50 percent of their 3-point attempts this season.
In the first game between these teams, Hulls, Watford and point guard Yogi Ferrell combined to hit 6 of 10 3-pointers, while Zeller and Oladipo were going 13 for 19, much of it on the break.
Indiana also got to the free-throw line 25 times in the game as opposed to just seven for the Wolverines, but that's not a surprise at Assembly Hall. Still, to win the rematch, Michigan will have to find a way to slow down Indiana and force them to work for points in the half-court offense. That's not a strength for Indiana, especially with a freshman at the point, and it is something the Wolverines must use to their advantage.
On offense, there's no question how things will work — Burke will control the game, especially against Ferrell. However, as good as he is, he can't beat the No. 2 team in the country by himself.
Nik Stauskas needs to have a big game against Hulls, who is not a strong defensive player, and Robinson has to end his stretch of coming up small in big games. He only had two points on 1-of-6 shooting in the first game against Indiana, and has struggled in several of Michigan's other losses.
It would also be a huge advantage if Morgan, McGary and Hardaway could get Zeller or Oladipo into foul trouble. The Hoosiers are not deep, and no team is going to be able to replace a Player of the Year candidate.
That, of course, would be just as true if Indiana could get Burke on to the bench — as well as Spike Albrecht has played at times, it's a massive loss when he's replacing Burke.
Burke and Oladipo are the favorites for Big Ten Player of the Year, and two of the top contenders for the national award. They've both shown the capability of taking over huge games — Oladipo did it at Michigan State, while Burke has done it several times for the Wolverines.
If Oladipo does it again, the only banner going up next season will be in Bloomington, where they have already cut down the nets. But if Burke can drag the Wolverines to a perfect home season, well, that's when things get crazy.
Michigan fans celebrating with Michigan State and Ohio State fans. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria.
In other words, the perfect ending for a wild Big Ten season.
