The Ohio State men’s basketball team will try to break a two game loosing skid tonight when they host the Michigan State Spartans at St. John Arena.The game is a Big Ten battle between the number eight and nine teams in the conference.The Buckeyes will be looking to split the second of two games between the teams this season. OSU lost in early January to the Spartans 69-66 in East Lansing.OSU enters the game with a record of 10-13 overall and 5-9 in the Big Ten.OSU coach Randy Ayers said the Buckeyes goal is to win out the rest of the season, but the team will take it one game at a time. He said that the team must become more consistent as the end of the season approaches.If OSU expects to win tonight the Buckeyes will need their two leading scorers, Damon Stringer and Shaun Stonerook, to step up their play. Stringer, who averages 14.5 points per game, and Stonerook, who averages 11.8 points per game, combined for a game total of four points versus Iowa.’We couldn’t score,’ Ayers said. ‘We just didn’t finish plays. When you don’t score, and you pressure full court you can’t get your defense up.’OSU will at times be using full court pressure to try and disrupt the Spartans.’We just hope not to turn the ball over against their pressure, and see if we can be patient against their zone,’ said MSU coach Tom Izzo.’The two biggest factors that I’m concerned with is their speed and quickness,’ Izzo said.Ayers said that the Spartans who are 13-10 overall and 6-8 in the Big Ten, at times will go with a smaller lineup. This may allow the Buckeyes to go with Stonerook at the center position, Jason Singleton and Otis Winston at the forward spots.The Spartans are led by their two guards. Senior Ray Weathers is averaging 13.1 points on the season, and freshman Mateen Cleaves is averaging 10.1 points.In the series Michigan St. leads 47-43.