The scarlet and gray of Ohio State. The maize and blue of Michigan. You just expect those colors to be on a college football masterpiece late in the fall. It’s become a part of American culture, and it’s a game that every Ohio State fan circles on the calendar, and it’s a life event players that are lucky enough to participate in will remember forever. It drives them in offseason workouts and conditioning. It is a right and a privilege to play in The Game when you come to Columbus or Ann Arbor.
However, maybe we took it for granted this year because the unthinkable happened, and a game you thought was too big to fail did exactly that and was wiped off the schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the first time since 1917, the Buckeyes and Wolverines left an annual pallet void of color. There was a little build-up and hope, but at the end of the day, the pandemic claimed yet another tradition and way of life. OSU would go on to the College Football Playoff and treat Clemson like Michigan for a year, but it wasn’t the same. Maybe close, but not quite. Right, Dabo?
But now it feels like we have something here. Ohio State and Michigan are set to face off this Sunday, but this time on the basketball court. Both teams are ranked inside the top five, both with a shot at winning a Big Ten conference crown.
Sound familiar? At least from a historical perspective?
It does have a little familiar feeling to it aside from things taking place in a Horseshoe or Big House under gray skies on a Saturday. This time it’s going to unfold in the Schottenstein center, but the same colors will be painting a Picasso of a different variety.
Do you feel it?
Look, we’re not trying to say that these two old rivals playing hoops is the same as what the two mean to each other on the football field. But in a year where we were all disappointed in missing out on an annual birthright in the Midwest, doesn’t it feel like fate threw us a little bone here? Both teams have outpaced expectations and are meeting this late in the season, both with a top-five ranking and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Who do you see winning this Sunday's game between @umichbball and @OhioStateHoops? pic.twitter.com/Lz3A31dX7U
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 19, 2021
I know, I know it’s basketball and Ohio State is a so-called football school. But if you haven’t gotten caught up in what this Buckeye squad is doing, it’s time to get on the train.
We know Chris Holtmann gets it. He met with the media on Friday and touched on what the rivalry means, especially in this season of the pandemic.
“I recognize being here my fourth year, what this rivalry — and it really is a rivalry across every sport here — but I recognize what it is and what it means,” Holtmann said. “We understand what ‘The Game’ in football is. And I recognize what the importance of that is to our fanbase. It’s important to our players. And I think the best way to honor a rivalry is to respect it for what it is and to try and bring your best competitive stuff to it.”
So look. If you haven’t been paying attention to what this Ohio State basketball team is doing, or you haven’t quite noticed how good Michigan has been this season, it’s time to perk your head up a little. Go find a warm and comfortable spot to watch this thing, and enjoy a version of The Game we definitely didn’t see coming about a year ago.
Cross those Ms out again, go blare some TBDBITL music, rewatch old OSU vs Michigan basketball games, and let this one sink in. Because Sunday isn’t Saturday, but it is two old rivals making good on a game that was shelved in the fall.
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