The Ohio State men’s basketball team came through its non-conference schedule with a 13-0 record and climbed to third in the AP national polls before entering Big Ten play. Senior guard Aaron Craft says that means less than nothing as the Buckeyes enter league competition. “It’s definitely exciting to jump into Big Ten play,” says Craft whose team started league play 2-1 after falling 72-68 in overtime at No. 5 Michigan State on Jan. 7. “It’s like a new season. Everyone is 0-0.” Ohio State coach Thad Matta divides the season into three sections: the non-conference season, the league schedule and the Big Ten and post-season tournaments. The middle phase, the run through the Big Ten conference, proves to be the most difficult. “It’s going to be a war. That’s for sure,” Matta says. “In today’s college basketball society, there are no givens. Winning a conference championship is the hardest thing to do in college basketball. There aren’t a lot of secrets as the season wears on. Each game has a huge stake.” “You can lose any Big Ten game if you don’t bring your ‘A’ game,” junior guard Shannon Scott adds. “We have to practice hard every day and prepare for every game. Every team is going to be a big challenge for us.” Before the start of league play, the Big Ten had three teams ranked in the top of the Associated Press’ national rankings. The Buckeyes, No. 4 Wisconsin and the Spartans were ranked behind top-ranked Arizona and No. 2 Syracuse. Additionally Iowa was ranked 22nd in the AP poll. But it wasn’t just those four teams that had successful starts. Each of the Big Ten teams came through the non-conference of the season with a winning record as the 12 teams combined for a 121-31 record. “You have to be ready to go every game,” Craft says. “That’s something that coach is trying to emphasize to us again this year. You have to produce something extra (in conference play).” The Big Ten has produced something extra in the postseason. Since the 2006-2007 season, one conference representative has reached the Final Four every year except for the 2007-08 season. Ohio State (2007), Michigan State (2009) and Michigan (2013) have all placed second. Since Matta started coaching the Buckeyes in the 2003-04 season, Ohio State has won three outright regular-season titles and tied for first two other times. During that same time frame, the Buckeyes have won the conference tournament in 2007, 10, 11 and 13 and finished second in 2006, 09, and 12. Matta says the secret to the team’s success is a game-by-game approach. He never posts the league standings up in the locker room or talks about teams coming up down the road. “We’ve been very business-like here,” says Matta, whose team went 15-1 in league play during the 2006-07 season and 16-2 during the 2010-11 season. “It’s always ‘We have Purdue at 1 p.m. tomorrow’ and we go from there. We play our best basketball, take a deep breath and prepare for our next opponent.” Craft says one of the most important tasks in maintaining control of their own destiny is doing well at home. The Buckeyes are 65-4 overall at the Schottenstein Center during Craft’s tenure, including a 12-0 start this season after defeating Nebraska 84-53 on Jan. 5. “You have to defend home court when you start league play,” Craft says. “There are a lot of distractions when you get on the road – the travel, the people yelling at you. You have four guys who are there with you. You need to trust them just like you would if you were at home. Hopefully, you’re making enough plays down the stretch to make it all work out.” The Buckeyes’ next challenge is playing host to Iowa on Jan. 12. Through the first 14 games, the Hawkeyes have three players averaging in double figures in senior guard Roy Devyn Marble (15.3 points), junior forward Aaron White (13.2) and sophomore forward Jarrod Uthoff (10.9). During that stretch Iowa outscored opponents 87.1-64.9 and shot 47.6 percent from the floor. Iowa hasn’t beaten Ohio State since a 53-48 win on Feb. 2, 2008 but Craft says the Buckeyes can’t take anything for granted. As a senior, the guard knows he only has eight home games left in his career and he wants to make the most of them. “It’s just crazy to think about. We’re trying to focus as best we can on the task at hand