Women's basketball: In Big Ten, this rates as big one

EAST LANSING - You know a women's basketball game has a tremendous build-up when a commercial airs for it during an NFL broadcast.

When preseason conference favorites Michigan State and Ohio State meet today, a game to be aired nationally on CBS, it will be as huge for the Big Ten standings as the All-American candidates in the middle of the paint.

MSU coach Suzy Merchant said it will be critical to have a quick start against the one-loss Buckeyes, who are perfect in conference play.

"I think this is the one game where obviously you need five scorers because they have them," Merchant said. "You have to match them pound for pound."

The biggest scorer of the Buckeyes' bunch is 6-foot-4 junior center Jantel Lavender. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year is again leading the league in scoring (22.1 per game) and is second in rebounding (10.1). Merchant coached her last summer with the USA Basketball's gold medal-winning team at the University Games in Serbia and said she can't find a weakness in Lavender's game.

"I just have even more respect for her now than I did before, and I had a lot before," Merchant said. She just plays hard. She's consistent every night."

That doesn't bother 6-9 Spartan senior Allyssa DeHaan. She has won three of the last four matchups with Lavender and averages 16.3 points in four career games with the Buckeyes.

"She's a lot more physical than I am, she has more stamina than I do," said DeHaan, who is averaging 12.8 points and 6.9 rebounds a game this season and now ranks second all-time in NCAA history with 449 blocked shots. "But I love taking a challenge and playing against big girls. I'd rather play against 6-4, 6-6 any day than play against short guards.

"I blocked her shot before, and I will do it again."

Ohio State coach Jim Foster said MSU's all-around size is something for his team to contend with.

"Well, they're not a traditional team in the sense that they have a lot of forwards. And DeHaan, obviously, distorts it," the 701-game career winning coach said. "Sometimes, (the Spartans) will be on floor with a guard, three forwards and a center. Sometimes, even, maybe two centers, two forwards and a guard. They're a little different because of that."

The No. 19 Spartans have won two in a row at home in this series, including last year's 52-46 win which came two days after MSU lost point guard Brittney Thomas to a knee injury.

This time, the Buckeyes may be without a player. Forward Sarah Schulze has an infection in her knee and missed Sunday's game against Michigan.

Contact Chris Solari at 377-1070.