The Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines have combined to go 46-8 overall this season and they are tied atop the Big Ten standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The winner of this game will have an advantage, but there is a rematch in East Lansing to close the regular season. With first-place on the line and the intensity of the geographical rivalry, the Crisler Center will be rocking on Sunday afternoon.
Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Wolverines
Date and Time: Sunday, February 24, 2019, 3:45 p.m. ET
Location: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
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Michigan State at Michigan TV Coverage: CBS
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All three of Michigan State’s conference losses came in consecutive games, including a couple of mind-boggling games against Indiana and Illinois. Those defeats may come back to hurt Sparty, but the club responded by winning four in a row with an average margin of over 15 points per game in those victories to get back on track.
Games between these two always have a little extra behind them given the rivalry and all. And with the two jostling for pole position in the conference, there should be some added oomph. The Spartans will have to battle without two key players, though. Nick Ward joined Joshua Langford on the injury list last week and the shorthanded Spartans were still able to overcome an 11-point deficit to beat Rutgers last time out. They won’t be so lucky with the same effort against UM.
Michigan isn’t going to wow its opponents, and they haven’t. A loss to Penn State allowed MSU to pull even in the standings, but the Wolverines have maintained a share of the top spot by winning their next two, holding Maryland and Minnesota to 60 points or less. And it’s been about defense for UM, which leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the country allowing just 57.7 points per game. All three Michigan losses have come in league play and on the road.
Player to Watch
The time is now for MSU’s Cassius Winston to take over. With Langford out and Ward joining him, the Spartans lineup is shorthanded. There is no time for anybody to rest. For Sparty to have a chance at upending Michigan they will need Winston to play a spectacular game. He can’t be average, like he was in the first half against Rutgers when the Spartans trailed by seven at the break.
The second-half Winston will have to play a full 40 minutes on Sunday. He tallied 19 points and six assists over the final 20 minutes to lead Sparty to the comeback win, finishing the game with 28 points and six assists. “Cassius is the best point guard in the league and he played like it tonight,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said after the 71-60 loss.
For the season Winston is averaging 18.9 points and Big Ten-best 7.4 assists per game. He and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ are the only players in the top-5 in both categories.
Injury Report
Langford hasn’t played in several weeks and the Spartans had a good idea that their floor leader wasn’t coming back. It was made official earlier this month when Langford had season-ending surgery on his foot. Taking 18 points per game off the floor was a big blow, but the Spartans regrouped and found alternative ways to score the basketball.
Nick Ward was one of the options on the offensive end with his numbers increasing slightly since the loss of Langford. Now, Sparty will have to make up for the loss of Ward, who was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his hand. Ward was averaging 15.1 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 60.4 percent from the floor. He scored at least 20 points in nine games. Sparty got by Ohio State after Ward left that game, and they came from behind to beat Rutgers with Xavier Tillman going for 19 points and 10 boards in place of Ward. “I thought he did a helluva job in the second half,” Tom Izzo said of his sophomore forward.
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Don’t expect a lot of points in this one. The Spartans have 30 points per game in street clothes and the Wolverines own the second-best scoring defense in the country. And Michigan isn’t what you would call an offensive juggernaut, but they are balanced and they are healthy. The teams are evenly matched in a number of stat categories and in the standings, making homecourt advantage and better overall health a plus on the side of the Wolverines, who win this tight battle in a low scoring affair.
College Basketball Score Prediction: Michigan 67, Michigan State 62
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