Michigan St. @ Michigan preview

Michigan St at Michigan

Last Meeting ( Mar 3, 2018 ) Michigan 75, Michigan St 64

Seventh-ranked Michigan looks to extend its home winning streak to 23 games when it battles No. 11 Michigan State on Sunday. The Wolverines took care of business on the road against Minnesota as they cruised to a 69-60 win to move into a tie with the Spartans at the top of the conference standings, and hope to knock off their instate rivals for the fourth consecutive time - which would be their longest streak in the series since the late 1990s.

"We've got two really tremendous programs in this state," Michigan coach John Beilein told reporters. "This is a great game that I'm sure has a lot of interest everywhere and we're going to do our best to try and be ready for it." Michigan State rallied from 11 points down in the second half to beat Rutgers 71-60 on Wednesday in its first game without its second-leading scorer Nick Ward, who suffered a hairline fracture to his left hand in the 62-44 victory against Ohio State. The Spartans have notched four straight wins since a three-game losing skid in early February and hope to take a big step towards their second straight Big Ten regular-season title by beating the Wolverines in Ann Arbor for the first time since Feb. 6, 2016. "When two big schools are doing well in the same state then it means a little more," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo told reporters. "It probably always will mean a little more and it probably has meant a little more."

TV: 3:45 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten): Cassius Winston sparked a 20-3 run in the second half which put the Spartans in front for good en route to 28 points and eight assists against Rutgers. Xavier Tillman added a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds in extended minutes with Ward sidelined to register his third double-double of the season as Michigan State improved to 9-0 all-time against the Scarlet Knights. Matt McQuaid tallied 11 points to reach double figures for the third time in the last four games while Kyle Ahrens was held scoreless as he was hampered by a sore back, and is questionable for Sunday's clash.

ABOUT MICHIGAN (24-3, 13-3): Jordan Poole broke out of a scoring slump as the sophomore sharpshooter knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a team-high 22 points in the win against Minnesota. Jon Teske, who is one of the most improved players in the Big Ten, matched a career high with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and five blocked shots to help the Wolverines down the Gophers for the 13th time in 14 meetings. Iggy Brazdeikis scored 10 points and Zavier Simpson dished out 12 assists while Brandon Johns missed the contest with flu-like symptoms but is expected to play on Sunday.

TIP-INS

1. Michigan has won the last three meetings with Michigan State by an average margin of 16.6 points.

2. Winston has scored at least 20 points in 11 of his last 16 games.

3. The Wolverines are ranked third nationally in scoring defense (57.7).

PREDICTION: Michigan 71, Michigan State 67