Men’s basketball tipoff: MSU at Michigan
•What: MSU at Michigan
•When: 2 p.m. today
•Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor
•TV/Radio: CBS/Spartan Sports Network, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; Sirius/XM Ch. 84
•Records/Rankings: No. 10-ranked MSU is 19-4 and 6-4 in the Big Ten; Unranked Michigan is 17-6 and 7-3.
•Coaches: MSU — Tom Izzo is 514-203 in 21 seasons, all with the Spartans. Michigan — John Beilein is 734-434 in 38 seasons, including 183-119 in nine seasons with the Wolverines
•Series: Michigan leads 97-79 all time, though MSU is 23-14 against the Wolverines in the Izzo era. MSU won last season at Crisler Center after dropping four straight in Ann Arbor.
MSU
Pos. | Name | PPG |
C (10) | Matt Costello (6-9) | 9.7 |
F (23) | Deyonta Davis (6-10) | 8.0 |
G (5) | Bryn Forbes (6-3) | 13.6 |
G (14) | Eron Harris (6-3) | 10.0 |
G (45) | Denzel Valentine (6-5) | 18.5 |
Michigan
Pos. | Name | PPG |
F (34) | Mark Donnal (6-9) | 7.1 |
F (22) | Duncan Robinson (6-8) | 12.5 |
G (21) | Zak Irvin (6-6) | 10.8 |
G (12) | M.-A. Abdur-Rahkman (6-4) | 6.5 |
G (10) | Derrick Walton (6-1) | 11.7 |
•MSU update: The Spartans enter a telling three-game stretch — today at Michigan, Tuesday at Purdue and next Sunday home against Indiana. MSU was superb against Maryland and then overwhelmed Northwestern and Rutgers, but we’ll know a lot more about the toughness and versatility of this group by Valentine’s Day. The Spartans have hit 33 3-pointers in their last two games, shooting nearly 57 percent. They’re shooting a Big Ten-best 43 percent from long range in league play and lead the nation in assists per game (20.4) and rebounding margin (12.7). MSU isn’t likely to have the services of point guard Tum Tum Nairn, who’s missed the last five games with plantar faciitis.
•Michigan update: The Wolverines are coming off an 80-67 home loss to Indiana, a game that got away from them with a 25-0 Hoosiers run to end the first half. Michigan had won four straight, albeit beating up mostly on the bottom of the conference — Penn State, Rutgers and Minnesota. The Wolverines did win at Nebraska during that stretch and beat Maryland on Jan. 12. Michigan has been without guard Caris LeVert for the last nine games, winning six of them without their senior star. It’s unclear whether LeVert will be back today or anytime soon.
•About the matchup: Michigan will test MSU’s defensive versatility. The Spartans want to go with their usual two-bigs lineup, with Deyonta Davis at power forward next to Matt Costello. Davis will have to defend the likes of Duncan Robinson, Zak Irvin or Aubrey Dawkins — all of whom will pull Davis, Gavin Schilling or Kenny Goins away from the basket. This is a game in which MSU could use Tum Tum Nairn’s defense on Michigan point guard Derrick Walton. Walton played poorly against Indiana, but he’s been outstanding most of the last month.
•Prediction: If Michigan doesn’t defend the perimeter better than it did Tuesday against Indiana, MSU might continue its torrid 3-point shooting and run the Wolverines off the court. I suspect we’ll see something closer to the Michigan team that won at Nebraska and beat Maryland. Crisler is a tough atmosphere, one that several MSU players have never experienced. If the Spartans keep their poise, their rebounding and interior scoring is the difference.
» Make it: MSU 74, Michigan 71
— Graham Couch