Michigan St. @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 9, 2020 ) Minnesota 58, Michigan St 74

Ninth-ranked Michigan State tries to keep pace for the top spot in the Big Ten when it visits Minnesota for a conference contest on Sunday. The Spartans are coming off a road loss to Indiana on Thursday and sit a half-game behind Illinois for first place, while the Golden Gophers enter this one after earning a road victory over Ohio State.

Michigan State has dropped two of three - both on the road - to drop out of first place for the first time this season. Senior guard Cassius Winston leads the way for coach Tom Izzo's squad, ranking third in the Big Ten in scoring (18.0) and fourth in assists (6.0), while junior forward Xavier Tillman is averaging a double-double at 13.7 points and 10 rebounds. Tillman will have his hands full defensively against Minnesota center Daniel Oturu (19.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks), who is a presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. Guard Marcus Carr shot just 3-of-11 from the field and finished with 11 points in Minnesota's loss at Michigan State on Jan. 9, but he's been hot since, averaging 19.3 points and 7.0 assists in the four games since that setback.

TIME: 3 p.m. ET. TV: FOX

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (14-5, 6-2 Big Ten): Slow starts have been a problem on the road for Michigan State, as Izzo tries to figure out how to get his team going right from the tip. The Spartans were outscored 19-4 in the first seven-plus minutes of the game and never recovered against Purdue, then they fell behind 25-10 in the first half versus Indiana. The Spartans did show some grit by rallying back to take a second-half lead against the Hoosiers, but winning on the road is so difficult in the Big Ten, Michigan State can't afford to get started slow against the Golden Gophers.

ABOUT MINNESOTA (11-8, 5-4): One of the reasons Minnesota was able to earn its first road victory of the season against Ohio State was a lack of turnovers, as the Gophers committed just four in the game. Minnesota is 11th in the Big Ten in turnover margin at minus-0.3, and the Gophers turned the ball over 11 times in their loss to the Spartans earlier this season - leading to 17 Michigan State points. To be successful in the rematch, Minnesota must avoid turnovers, especially those that lead to Michigan State fast breaks, as well as put pressure on Winston and the rest of the Spartans to force some miscues.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Michigan State was third in the country in assists per game entering Saturday (18.7), while its assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47 ranked sixth.

2. Minnesota G Gabe Kalscheur led the Big Ten in both total 3-pointers made (46) and 3-pointers per game (2.4) through Friday.

3. Spartans F Aaron Henry had a career-high seven assists when these two teams played earlier this month.

PREDICTION: Minnesota 78, Michigan State 74