Michigan St. @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 21, 2018 ) Oakland 69, Michigan St 99

No. 15 Michigan State looks to win a second straight game when it takes on non-conference foe Oakland at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans are coming off a 77-65 win over Rutgers Sunday in their Big Ten opener, while the Golden Grizzlies come into this one having lost three of four, including a 68-65 setback at Bowling Green last Saturday.

Senior guard Cassius Winston continues to be the ringleader for Tom Izzo's squad, leading the team with 17.8 points and 6.2 assists per game. Forward Xavier Tillman has been getting into a groove over the last four games, averaging 15.8 points and 9 rebounds, while forward Gabe Brown is coming off a season-high 14 points against Rutgers as he starts for the injured Rocket Watts. Coach Greg Kampe's team has been up and down all season, with no streaks -- wins or losses -- longer than two games, though the Grizzlies are holding opponents to a Horizon League-best 63.5 points. Forward Xavier Hill-Mais leads Oakland in both scoring and rebounding (15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds), while forward Daniel Oladapo is just behind him in both categories (11.5, 7.2).

TV: Noon ET, ESPN2.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (6-3): Izzo still seems to be searching for the best combination of players to have on the floor, especially at power forward. Marcus Bingham Jr. is now starting up front in place of a healthy Thomas Kithier, though the sophomore has only averaged 12 minutes in those four starts, partially because of the emergence of freshman forward Malik Hall, who has played 20 or more minutes in three of Bingham's four starts. Izzo also has freshman Julius Marble available, though Marble had his first game without playing time against Rutgers after playing at least two minutes in every game this season.

ABOUT OAKLAND (5-5): A big problem for Oakland this season has been its perimeter shooting, with the Golden Grizzlies connecting on just 28.2 percent of their 3-point attempts, down from 38.5 percent in 2018-19. That's not a good sign when the team's top scorers are forwards, who will draw plenty of help on defense, leaving players on the perimeter open for shots. Sophomore Tray Maddox Jr. is tied for the team lead in 3-point attempts with 42, yet he's hit just 28.6 percent so far, a big dip from last year's 37.7 percent accuracy from beyond the arc.

TIP-INS

1. The Spartans rank third in the nation in assists per game (18.6 per game) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.56).

2. Michigan State is a perfect 17-0 against Oakland, including last season's 30-point victory in East Lansing, though three of the last eight meetings have been decided by less than 10 points.

3. Kampe (623) and Izzo (612) have both had over 600 coaching victories in their careers.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 76, Oakland 62