Michigan St. @ Ohio St. preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 14, 2017 ) Ohio St. 66, Michigan St 74

Two of the three teams still undefeated in Big Ten play square off Sunday when No. 1 Michigan State travels to face Ohio State. The Spartans have won 14 straight games, including an easy win over Maryland on Thursday, while the Buckeyes come into the contest on a two-game winning streak.

Coach Tom Izzo's squad has been fantastic on both ends of the floor, ranking No. 1 in the country in field-goal percentage defense (33.1), blocked shots (8.4 per game), field-goal percentage (53.3) and assists (22.4). Forwards Miles Bridges (16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists) and Nick Ward (15.4 points, 7.4 boards, 72.3 percent shooting) lead the way for a very deep Spartans offense, which features five double-figure scorers. Ohio State has four players averaging 10 or more points, though none is more important than junior forward Keita Bates-Diop, the team's leader in scoring (19.3 points), rebounding (8.9), blocked shots (1.6) and steals (1.1). Bates-Diop and senior forward Jae'Sean Tate (12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds) need to play strong in the paint while avoiding foul trouble against a very deep front line of Michigan State.

TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (15-1, 3-0 Big Ten): As if the Spartans weren't deep enough offensively, Izzo seemed to find even more firepower when forward Kenny Goins showed development as a shooter, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the win over Maryland. For Goins, a 6-6 former walk-on who was forced to play center last season because of the lack of front line depth, they were the first two 3-pointers of his career and showed that he can contribute more offensively than just being a solid passer and garbage man on the boards. Goins was forced to become a shooter with the presence of Ward, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ben Carter, Gavin Schilling and Xavier Tillman in the rotation at power forward and center, but he should carve out more playing time as he becomes an even more versatile player.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (12-4, 3-0): The Buckeyes have improved their play from earlier in the season thanks in large part to the play of point guard C.J. Jackson, a junior-college transfer who has scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games. He's also averaged 5.1 assists over the last six contests after going seven straight games with four or fewer assists, helping the Buckeyes find some cohesiveness offensively. For the season, Jackson is the team's second-leading scorer with 13.5 points and has hit the most 3-pointers on the team with 33, giving coach Chris Holtmann more offense than anticipated at the start of the season.

TIP-INS

1. Michigan State F Jaren Jackson Jr. ranks eighth in the country with 3.3 blocks per game and his total of 53 is already eighth on the school's all-time single-season list.

2. Spartans G Cassius Winston ranks 10th in the country in assists, dishing out 7.3 per game.

3. Ohio State is 8-11 all-time against a No. 1 team, including a 5-5 record in Columbus. The Buckeyes' last win over a top-ranked opponent as an unranked team was in March of 2005 over Illinois.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 85, Ohio State 68