Cleveland St. @ Michigan St. preview

No. 2 Michigan State looks to extend its 11-game winning streak when it hosts non-conference foe Cleveland State on Friday. The Spartans have been dominant at home, winning seven contests by an average of 30.4 points - including a 42-point rout of Long Beach State on Dec. 21, while the Vikings have dropped three in a row and five of their last six.

Coach Dennis Felton’s Cleveland State team is lacking in height, with no player over 6-9, and is led in scoring by senior guard Kenny Carpenter (13.7 points, six rebounds). The Spartans, on the other hand, have no such trouble with size as they possess one of the better front lines in the country in 6-7 Miles Bridges (16.8 points, 6.7 rebounds), 6-8 Nick Ward (14.5, 6.8) and 6-11 Jaren Jackson Jr. (10.4, 7.6, 3.4 blocks). Bridges has been more aggressive offensively of late, averaging 25 points, 7.5 rebounds and three assists while shooting 64.3 percent in the team’s last two games. Point guard Cassius Winston has stepped up his game in his sophomore campaign, averaging 13 points and a Big Ten-best 6.9 assists while shooting 55.2 percent from 3-point range.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT CLEVELAND STATE (3-9): Felton has been working on getting his team to play a 40-minute game all season long, and unfortunately for the Vikings, it hasn’t happened quite yet. The team’s loss to Toledo on Saturday is a prime example, with Cleveland State owning a 46-45 lead with 10 minutes remaining but ending up with a 77-62 loss. Part of the problem is likely the team’s lack of depth, as Carpenter plays more than 34 minutes a game and six others average 20 or more, with an injury to junior forward Evan Clayborne – who has missed the last five contests – making the bench even shorter.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (12-1): Tom Izzo certainly was proud of his team following its drubbing of Long Beach State as it shot 60.9 percent and assisted on 28 of its 39 made field goals. But the Spartans’ turnover number may have made him the proudest, as they had fewer turnovers than their opponent for the first time in eight games. For a team that has a near-perfect record, the Spartans have committed an inordinate amount of unforced turnovers, and Izzo has been working at getting them to make the simple pass rather than the most difficult one in an effort to cut down on the problem.

TIP-INS

1. Michigan State has scored more than 100 points in each of its last two games, marking the first time it has passed the century mark in consecutive contests since the start of the 2004-05 season.

2. The Spartans hit a season-high 13 3-pointers against Long Beach State, the fourth time this season they have hit at least 10 shots from beyond the arc.

3. Jackson has blocked at least four shots in each of his last five games, averaging 5.4 over that span.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 94, Cleveland State 60