Two months ago, a matchup between Michigan and Ohio State would have been viewed as impacting the Big Ten championship and the race to a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Instead, it will break a tie for 11th place in the Big Ten.

The Wolverines and Buckeyes have followed very similar paths this season. They experienced the highest of highs in November, but the Big Ten restart and absence of key personnel knocked both of them on their bottoms in January. Each team has rebounded slightly in the last week with two straight wins, but Tuesday night could cause these rivals to begin heading in separate directions.