The Big Ten Tournament semifinals continues today with the Michigan Wolverines taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game is scheduled for a 4:05 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on CBS. Currently the odds have Ohio State favored by 7.5 points with the total sitting at 125 points. It's the first time in Big Ten Tournament history that the top four seeds all made the semifinals.

Free Analysis: Former high school teammates and now conference rivals had shining performances on Friday in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Michigan's Trey Burke had a career high 30 points in an overtime win over Minnesota on Friday while Ohio State's Jared Sullinger equaled the performance with 30 points of his own in a drubbing of Purdue. Michigan probably feels lucky to even be around after being outplayed in each of the first two halves against Minnesota Friday. Even more troubling might be how well Ohio State played in a beatdown of Purdue. The Buckeyes have reached the Big Ten finals the past three season and Michigan will have to play pretty mighty to keep them from reaching a fourth. Co-Big Ten champions in the regular season along with Michigan State, second-seeded Michigan (24-8) and third-seeded Ohio State split their first two meetings in 2011-12. Ohio State beat up on Michigan pretty good during the first game in Columbus, 64-49, but Michigan was able to hold serve on their home court, beating Ohio State in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were also to put a halt to a six-game skid in the series with a 56-51 win in Ann Arbor on Feb. 18. Michigan will meet up with the Buckeyes for the third straight season in the Big Ten Tournament. William Buford had 16 points and Sullinger added 14 with 13 rebounds as the two-time defending tournament champion Buckeyes beat Michigan 68-61 in last season's semifinals, improving to 5-0 against the Wolverines in Big Ten tournament play. "We didn't do some of the things that we typically do," Michigan swingman Zack Novak said. "To be able to come out with a win is huge, and that's what you gotta do at this time of the year." Michigan's task is going to be a big one on Saturday, playing the Buckeyes on a neutral court which seems to already be filling up with the scarlet and gray fans. The Buckeyes won their final two regular season games to clinch a share of the Big Ten title with Michigan and Michigan State. Those two wins came against Northwestern and Michigan State, and they carried some momentum over to last night's win over Purdue by shooting 61 percent from the floor. They held a huge rebounding advantage too, which doesn't bode well for the Wolverines. Sullinger had a season-high 30 points with 12 rebounds and Deshaun Thomas scored 22 as the Buckeyes posted their second-highest point total of the season, outscoring Purdue 48-35 in the second half. Thad Matta said he was impressed with his team's performances in their post-season opening contest. "I thought our preparation coming in was good," he said. "I thought our minds were good. I think we can continue to grow. I think that these are the times where all the little things matter, and hopefully they're continuing to pick up on those." Sullinger was decent but not spectacular in the two games against Michigan this season, scoring 27 points and pulling down just 13 rebounds in the two combined games. Burke, in comparison, added 30 points and dished out 10 assists in the two games. Burke scored nine points in overtime as Michigan came from behind to beat Minnesota on Friday. Today's quarterfinal matchup is the first appearance for the Wolverines since 1998, when they won the tournament. "We're not afraid of these type of moments," said Michigan guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 18 of his 20 points after halftime. "We just keep on fighting and just let the best come to us." Hardaway is averaging 13.8 points in five career games versus Ohio State. He'll need to come up big tonight if Michigan is going to win, or cover.

Free Pick: Michigan +7.5 in this game. It's going to be a tight one and Michigan poses some problems with their ability to stretch a defense out and knock down some three pointers. Michigan cannot get dominated on the glass again in this game, or they won't have a chance to advance. Michigan has played well against Ohio State in their two games this season, but clearly was overwhelmed in Columbus back in January. The Wolverines aren't a great road team, that's not a secret, but this is at a neutral floor, where they played yesterday, so it shouldn't be such a change of scenery. I'm not telling you that Michigan is going to win the game, but they should cover the point spread and keep it close. Michigan hasn't been to the finals of the Big Ten tournament in more than 13 seasons and you better believe that head coach John Beilein and his players know that. I'm expecting a big showing by them today.

Betting Strategies: College Basketball Conference Tournament
Host Marco D'Angelo and Pregame's own Johnny Detroit talk about how important the college basketball conference tournaments are for some teams and also discuss: Conference tournaments are purest handicap of the season and other various handicapping angles.