Michigan St. @ Michigan preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 5, 2020 ) Michigan 69, Michigan St 87

No. 14 Michigan State tries to snap a two-game losing streak and keep pace near the top of the Big Ten standings when it visits in-state rival Michigan on Saturday for a Big Ten contest. The Spartans are coming off a loss to Penn State on Tuesday that knocked them out of first place in the league, while the Wolverines are trying to bounce back from a home loss to Ohio State on Tuesday.

The Spartans took the first meeting of the season between these teams at the beginning of January, winning by 18 in a game in which they shot 52.8 percent from the field. Senior guard Cassius Winston had 32 points and nine assists in the contest, and he leads the Spartans in both categories (18.5 points, 5.9 assists per game). The Wolverines' lineup has been in flux almost all season due to injuries and a suspension, but the one constant has been center Jon Teske, who leads the team with 13.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per outing. Point guard Zavier Simpson (12.7 points, 8.2 assists) always seem to have good games against Michigan State, while forward Isaiah Livers (13.1 points, 50 percent 3-point shoting), who has played in only three conference games this season, is a game-time decision for this one.

TIME: Noon ET. TV: FOX

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (16-7, 8-4 Big Ten): Junior forward Xavier Tillman has had some troubles close to the hoop in that Spartans' last two games, missing layups at key times in close losses to Wisconsin and Penn State. The team's second-leading scorer at 13.3 points a game, Tillman has averaged eight points over the two contests, shooting a cumulative 6-of-20 from the field. But Tillman's focus may be a little off these days, as his wife is due with the couple's second child this month, but he'll need to be 100 percent against Teske and the Wolverines.

ABOUT MICHIGAN (13-9, 4-7): He doesn't get a lot of playing time, and his name isn't one of the first you'd rattle off if you were naming the Wolverines, but senior forward Austin Davis is working to change that. Davis is coming off a career-high 11-point effort against Ohio State, his first double-digit scoring game at Michigan. Davis is a physical body under the basket, which is what the Wolverines will need against Michigan State, and he comes into this game having hit his last nine field-goal attempts over the span of the last three games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Michigan State freshman F Malik Hall matched his career high with 25 minutes of playing time against Penn State, equalling his career highs in rebounds (eight) and assists (three).

2. Wolverines freshman F Franz Wagner grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in the loss to Ohio State, his first double-figure rebounding game at Michigan.

3. The Spartans have won the last four games between these bitter rivals, including a victory in last season's Big Ten Tournament title game.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 74, Michigan 65