Ohio St. @ Michigan St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 5, 2019 ) Michigan St 86, Ohio St. 77

No. 12 Michigan State looks to move back into a first-place tie in the Big Ten standings when it hosts Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans are one-half game behind rival Michigan for the top spot in the conference after posting back-to-back wins, including Tuesday's triumph at No. 23 Wisconsin, while the Buckeyes are coming off a home loss to Illinois on Thursday that snapped their three-game winning streak.

Kaleb Wesson, who leads the Buckeyes with 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, scored 25 in a loss to Michigan State earlier this season but must avoid foul trouble against the Spartans' physical front line - especially after fouling out in the previous meeting. C.J. Jackson is the other double-digit scorer for coach Chris Holtmann, averaging 13 points and a team-best 3.5 assists, and will need to be on his game at both ends of the floor against Michigan State's Cassius Winston. The junior guard is the leader for the Spartans, pacing the team in scoring (18.8 points) and assists (7.4) while shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range and hitting clutch shots when the team needs them most. Nick Ward (15.4 points, 60.9 percent shooting) will look to power to the hoop against Wesson like he did in the first meeting, when he got to the free-throw line 14 times en route to 21 points.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT OHIO STATE (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten): The Buckeyes' offense has gone cold recently, failing to score 60 points in three of the last five contests, and taking on three of the top seven Big Ten defenses in the next three games won't make breaking out of the slump very easy. Against Michigan State, which certainly will be focused on stopping Wesson inside, players like Luther Muhammad (9.8 points), Andre Wesson (nine) and Duane Washington Jr. (6.9) need to step up and take advantage of their open opportunities. Those three players combined for 32 points in the first meeting, keeping the Buckeyes in the game until Michigan State closed with a 15-5 run to earn the victory.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (20-5, 11-3): Winston and Ward are the players who get the most headlines for coach Tom Izzo this season, but senior forward Kenny Goins certainly is in the running to be the team's most valuable player. Goins played just seven minutes against Minnesota after suffering an elbow injury that made him questionable to face Wisconsin but saw 35 minutes of action versus the Badgers and finished with 12 points, including a game-clinching 3-pointer with 31 seconds left. The former walk-on continues to expand his game in all areas, becoming a key to the Spartans' success at both ends of the floor, so the team is hoping the elbow isn't a problem for the remainder of the season.

TIP-INS

1. Ohio State ranks fourth in the Big Ten in free-throw percentage (73.2 percent), with its top four scorers hitting at least 73 percent from the line.

2. Michigan State led the nation in total assists (496) through Feb. 15 and ranked second in assists per game (19.8).

3. Winston is the only player in the country this season averaging at least 18 points and seven assists while shooting at least 45 percent from 3-point range.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 83, Ohio State 71