Michigan vs. Michigan State: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

A critical early league battle will transpire on Sunday afternoon in the Big Ten Conference, as fierce rivals Michigan and Michigan State collide.

TV schedule: Sunday, January 5, 1:30 pm ET. CBS.
Arena: Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.

The new year is starting off with a bang in the Big Ten Conference, with in-state foes Michigan and Michigan State clashing on Sunday afternoon in an enticing top-15 encounter. The No. 12 Wolverines (10-3, 1-1) are making the trip to East Lansing, Mich., having won two straight over the relatively soft competition, although the Wolverines is just 3-3 in its past six affairs after beginning the 2019-20 campaign on a roll.

With a current NCAA NET rating of No. 16, the Wolverines own impressive conquests of Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa, Iowa State and North Carolina. The Wolverines’s trio of setbacks is to Illinois, Louisville and Oregon by one point in overtime.

The No. 14 Spartans (11-3, 3-0), meanwhile, have captured six-consecutive triumphs, including a 20-point dismantling of Illinois on Jan. 2. To date, Michigan State’s resume also features victories versus Georgia, Seton Hall and UCLA. Ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press top-25 poll, the Spartans have fallen to heavyweights Duke and Kentucky, as well as to Virginia Tech in a surprising upset back in late November.

When Michigan State, at No. 14 in the NET, and the Wolverines go toe to toe this Sunday, it will mark their 191st meeting, with Michigan presently ahead, 106-84. Since the Spartans are unblemished in Big Ten competition, and the Wolverines already have a league loss, this duel is pivotal, particularly for Michigan.

One development to keep a keen eye on is the status of Isaiah Livers, a junior forward with the Wolverines. On Dec. 28, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard announced that Livers is out indefinitely because of a left groin injury. It remains unclear as to whether Livers, who is generating 13.6 points per contest and connecting on 50 percent from deep, will suit up against Michigan State.

Both of these crews can score in droves, as the Wolverines average 79.0 points every 40 minutes, and the Spartans collect 81.4 points. On defense, Michigan gives up 65.9 points, versus 63.7 points for Michigan State. Blocks, steals and turnovers committed are virtually identical.

The Spartans, leading the country with 20.0 assists a game, have sizable edges in dimes as well as rebounds. Conversely, the Wolverines are a better-shooting unit from the field as a whole, and from 3-point land. If the Wolverines want to succeed, it must perform admirably on the glass, and not enable Michigan State to dominate in the paint area.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that the Spartans, playing in front of a boisterous Breslin Center crowd, possess an 81.6 percent chance to prevail. In this heated series, Michigan State has claimed three in a row, and I believe that the Spartans will add to their recent prosperity in besting the Wolverines.

Prediction: Michigan State 82 – Michigan 75