Michigan basketball players eager for rematch with Ohio State in Big Ten tournament today

INDIANAPOLIS - Members of the Ohio State men’s basketball team couldn't care less who their opponent is in today’s Big Ten tournament semifinal matchup with Michigan.

For the Wolverines, this one is personal.

“We have a whole lot of revenge we want to get on Ohio State,” Michigan guard Stu Douglass said Wednesday.

Douglass and his teammates will have their chance today. Michigan faces the Buckeyes in a Big Ten semifinal at 1:40 p.m. at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Stu Douglass and the Michigan basketball team take on Ohio State today in the Big Ten tournament semifinal round.

Earlier this season, the Wolverines lost a 68-64 heartbreaker to then-No. 2 Ohio State in Ann Arbor. In their encore, they went toe to toe with the No. 1 Buckeyes in Columbus for 35 minutes, before fading at the end in a 62-53 loss.

Bitter memories don’t stop there.

One year ago today, Ohio State’s Evan Turner’s bulls-eye three-point shot at the buzzer pushed Michigan out of the Big Ten tournament, 69-68, cutting short a promising Wolverines run.

“Heartbreaking, very heartbreaking,” Douglass said. “Pain was felt by everybody in that locker room. We really thought we could have won the whole thing.”

Michigan sits in a similar position today.

The Wolverines (20-12) took a big step toward a spot in the NCAA tournament Friday with a 60-55 win over Illinois in the conference tournament’s second round.

A signature win over Ohio State would guarantee their inclusion.

For the Buckeyes (30-2), who reached today’s semis with a 67-61 overtime win over Northwestern on Friday, today’s matchup with the Wolverines doesn’t include as much emotional oomph.

Prior to watching the Michigan-Illinois game, the Buckeyes were ambivalent about a potential rematch.

“Don’t matter to me,” guard William Buford said. “It is what it is.”

Jon Diebler agreed.

“Who do we play the winner of? I don’t even know,” he said. “Michigan or Illinois? Coach Beilein is doing a great job getting his team ready to play. … We’ll be ready for whoever we have to play.”

Pete Bigelow covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2556, via email at petebigelow@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @PeterCBigelow.