Big Ten East Title on the Line this Weekend for No. 8 Buckeyes

No. 8 Ohio State vs. Michigan State
Date:        April 16, 2021
Time:       3 p.m.
Where:     Auer Tennis Complex – Columbus, Ohio
Video:      Watch
Scoring:   Follow
Rankings: USTA Team | ITA Team

No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Michigan
Date:        April 18, 2021
Time:       Noon
Where:     Auer Tennis Complex – Columbus, Ohio
Video:      Watch
Scoring:   Follow
Rankings: USTA Team | ITA Team

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final weekend of the regular season is upon us and what a final weekend it’s going to be. Ohio State hosts rivals Michigan State and Michigan and Big Ten East Division title is on the line. Both matches are scheduled to be played outdoors at the Auer Tennis Complex with the Michigan State match scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on Friday and Sunday’s match vs. Michigan schedule for a Noon start.

Sunday will also be Senior Day for the Buckeyes as the program will honor John McNally, Kyle Seelig and Jacob Wareti.

• Ohio State comes into the weekend at 16-2 on the season and 13-1 in Big Ten play.
• Both Ohio State and Michigan are 13-1 in Big Ten play, but Michigan holds a one match lead in the Big Ten East Standings as the Wolverines are 8-0 in the division while the Buckeyes are 7-1.
• OSU’s lone loss was to Michigan in Ann Arbor on March 14. Michigan’s lone conference loss came at the hands of West Division champ Illinois. The Illini is also 13-1 as it fell to Ohio State earlier this season.
• Ohio State has swept Michigan State three times already this season and have won 25 times in a row against the Spartans. The teams met twice in Columbus on February 13 and then in East Lansing on March 12.
• Michigan State is 5-11 on the year and has dropped five of its last six matches.
• Ohio State will be looking to avenge one of its two losses on the season this Sunday when hosting the Wolverines. The loss on March 14 snapped a 28-match win streak against Michigan and it was also the first loss to a Big Ten team since 2015.
• Like Ohio State, Michigan has lost just twice this season. The Wolverines were swept by Baylor in the opening match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend back in January and then fell 5-2 at Illinois on March 26. The Wolverines have won five consecutive matches since that set back and will be at Penn State on Friday night prior to its trip to Columbus on Sunday.
• Ohio State is ranked No. 8 in the latest Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25 poll. The ITA has released both the computer rankings and the coaches poll and the Buckeyes sit at No. 26 in the computer rankings and No. 14 in the coaches poll.
• Cannon Kingsley is a perfect 23-0 in singles matches this season. He is 8-0 at the No. 1 spot and 9-0 at the No. 2 spot and combined, he has eight wins over ranked opponents. In doubles, he is 13-5 on the season, giving him a combined record of 36-5.
• John McNally is right there with Kingsley at 18-3 on the year. He has five wins vs. ranked foes and is also 14-4 in doubles matches.
• JJ Tracy lost the first two matches of his Buckeye career in the OSU Invitational but has since reeled-off 20 consecutive wins. He has also worked his way into the doubles lineup and is 11-2 on the year.
• Robert Cash has anchored the bottom of the Buckeye lineup for a second consecutive season. He is 16-2 overall in singles matches and has a team-high 15 doubles victories.

#GoBuckeyes