Michigan State heads into Saturday night’s rivalry game in Ann Arbor with a chance to shake off two ugly streaks at once: a six-game slide overall and a four-game run of losses to Michigan dating back to 2021.
The Spartans are coming out of the bye week at 2-6 overall and 0-5 in Big Ten play, while Michigan enters at 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the league. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game will air on Peacock or NBCSN.
So where does the Spartans Wire staff land on the matchup? The picks are split, but most of the predictions point toward Michigan.
Andrew Brewster is taking the bold swing, calling for Michigan State to grab its first Big Ten win of the season on the road. His logic is simple: Rutgers nearly pulled off an upset against Michigan last week, and he thinks the Spartans can take that a step further.
Robert Bondy sees a tighter game early, but not an MSU breakthrough. He has Michigan winning 23-10, noting that the bye week could help Michigan State get healthier after dealing with a number of injury concerns. Even so, he doesn’t see enough offense to finish the job, saying the Spartans will stay in it through halftime before things unravel in the second half.
Cory Linsner is also going with the Wolverines, projecting a 27-13 Michigan win. For him, the injury situation is the biggest obstacle for Michigan State, especially on defense. He said a potential return for Alessio Milivojevic could help the offense, but the overall health of the roster leaves him skeptical the Spartans can pull it off, even if the energy is there.
For the rest of the Big Ten slate, the staff has more picks available against the spread.
In Other News...
Michigan State Is One Win From The Final After Wild Finish
Bella Najera delivered the kind of finish that can define a tournament run, scoring in the 96th minute to lift Michigan State past Washington, 3-2, in a wild Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal. The Spartans had to navigate a back-and-forth match that featured multiple swings in momentum before Najera finally put it away, sending Michigan State into the semifinals with plenty of drama still fresh from the quarterfinal stage.
Michigan State now gets the matchup it was hoping to earn, a semifinal date with Michigan and a chance to keep its postseason push alive against a familiar rival. After surviving a tense, high-scoring battle against Washington, the Spartans will carry both confidence and urgency into the next round, knowing one more win would put them within reach of the final. [Read more 🡒]
Tom Izzo Still Sees A Michigan State Problem After Blowout Win
Michigan States 91-61 win over Toledo looked comfortable on the scoreboard, and Tom Izzo had reasons to like what he saw. The Spartans showed off the kind of depth that can carry a team through a long season, and Izzo has been working through roster adjustments as he tries to settle on the right combinations. For a team with bigger goals ahead, it was the sort of game that can reinforce the upside without fully answering every question.
Izzo still came away focused on the details that tend to matter most once the competition gets sharper. Free-throw shooting and turnovers remained issues in his eyes, even in a lopsided victory, and that leaves Michigan State with work to do before Duke arrives on the schedule. A win like this helps the record, but it also serves as a reminder that the Spartans are still chasing cleaner execution. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Enters Rivalry Game With One Huge Problem On Offense
Michigan State heads into the rivalry trip to Ann Arbor carrying more than the usual pressure that comes with this matchup. Both programs have labored through uneven seasons under new head coaches, but Michigan enters with a sturdier defense and a healthier roster, while the Spartans are trying to piece together enough on offense to keep pace in a game that still figures to be tight.
The bigger concern for Michigan State is the state of its quarterback situation, which has been unsettled by injuries and leaves the offense in a difficult spot against a Michigan defense that should control large stretches of the game. Michigans offense has shown some recent improvement, but the Wolverines are still expected to lean on their defense to separate in a rivalry that rarely gives either side much margin for error. [Read more 🡒]