When coach Thad Matta arrived at Ohio State in 2004 and began the process of building a championship program, he knew who was king and who he would have to knock off the hill:

Tom Izzo and Michigan State.

“That was one of the few programs that probably was going to stand the test of time, that we were going to have to compete with if we wanted to do this thing like we had set out to,” Matta said.

The first thing Matta had to do to catch Michigan State was recruit better players. That has not been an issue.

Next on the list, he said, was a “culture adjustment” among his players. They needed a mindset, a resolve, a toughness that allowed nothing to shake them as long as they trusted Matta’s system.

“You recruit that,” Matta said, “(and) you attempt to mold it through your daily practices.”

Toughness is a core value of the Michigan State program. The Spartans have won, typically, by defending and rebounding better than their opponents and wearing them down with their manpower and physical play.

No longer, though, are they the biggest bully of the Big Ten.

Since Matta took over, Ohio State has won seven of the teams’ 13 meetings, including the past three, and more conference championships (four).

The No. 3 Buckeyes also bring a higher national ranking into their game against the No. 11 Spartans tonight in Value City Arena, one of two showdowns in the next three weeks that could determine the Big Ten champion. They finish the regular season March 4 in East Lansing, Mich.

But perhaps the highest compliment that could be paid Matta’s team came from Izzo himself last February after the Buckeyes won a 71-61 slugfest in Columbus, in which Michigan State was called for 26 fouls and Ohio State only 12. The Buckeyes made 23 of 29 free throws while the Spartans netted 5 of 6.

Izzo said he was “bothered” by the disparity, partly because his point guard, Kalin Lucas, “was getting beat up all night” by Ohio State freshman Aaron Craft.

A blessing from the godfather, that.

“They’re a great team,” Craft said yesterday. “Every year they always seem to find a way to win. That starts with the coach and trickles down to the players. They always find a way to stick their nose into things.

“They were one of the best screening teams we faced last year, and that makes things more difficult when you’re constantly running into a body. This year, we’re just going in with the understanding that we are going to get hit, we’re going to get screened, and we just need to find a way to stay connected out there and guard our guys. We have a lot of guys who haven’t experienced it yet, and we’re going to find out how we can handle it.”

Mind you, Ohio State is no shrinking violet in this matter. While Michigan State’s defense ranks as the fourth-most efficient nationally, the Buckeyes have been first for most of the season. In conference play, the two have been by far the best at defending shots and rebounding misses. Ohio State is even fouling more often, if not yet as much as the Spartans.

Matta spoke yesterday of early-season rebounding drills that usually ended “with somebody bleeding or laying on the ground.”

Izzo has been known to break out the football helmets and shoulder pads for practice when his team hasn’t played physically enough.

Someone might need them tonight.

Wisconsin game set

Ohio State’s home game against Wisconsin will be played at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26 in Value City Arena and be broadcast by CBS, the Big Ten announced yesterday. It will be the Buckeyes’ final home game of the season.

bbaptist@dispatch.com