EAST LANSING, Mich. — Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, Michigan; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 9 Michigan State goes for its eighth straight win over ranked opponents against No. 7 Michigan . Michigan State's last loss vs a ranked opponent came against the then-No. 15 Michigan Wolverines 75-64 on March 3, 2018. Michigan has moved up to No. 7 in the latest AP rankings following wins over Nebraska and Maryland last week.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The play-making Cassius Winston is putting up 18.8 points and 7.6 assists to lead the charge for the Spartans. Nick Ward has paired with Winston and is putting up 13.6 points and six rebounds per game. The Wolverines have been led by Ignas Brazdeikis, who is averaging 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Winston has made or assisted on 60 percent of all Michigan State field goals over the last five games. The junior guard has accounted for 30 field goals and 45 assists in those games.
STREAK SCORING: Michigan State has won its last four home games, scoring an average of 75.8 points while giving up 58.8.
ASSIST RATIOS: The Spartans have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Wolverines. Michigan State has 53 assists on 82 field goals (64.6 percent) over its previous three contests while Michigan has assists on 39 of 78 field goals (50 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Michigan offense has recorded a turnover on only 14.2 percent of its possessions, which is the fourth-lowest rate in the nation. The Michigan State defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 15.4 percent of all possessions (ranked 342nd among Division I teams).
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