When Penn State visits Breslin Center Sunday afternoon, it will be the third straight team to bring at least a three-game winning streak into a game against No. 6 MSU. MSU has recently ended Wisconsin's seven-game winning streak and Ohio State's four-game winning streak as MSU has won seven of its last eight games.
Penn State is currently on a three-game winning streak and has won four of its past five, including high-profile wins vs. Big Ten leading No. 18 Indiana and No. 8 Iowa. Penn State's recent surge is the reason MSU has a chance to share a Big Ten title still, but MSU head coach Tom Izzo isn't concerned with winning a share of the regular-season crown.
"I’m not," Izzo said when asked if the regular-season crown was something he had been thinking about. "And I’ll tell you why; I’m not because we can only control what we can control and if we control ours and win our games and somebody else doesn’t screw up, we can’t win it. I don’t sit there and hope for someone else to screw up. I look at this stuff now and maybe I’m wiser, older, been through it, but we had our chances and we didn’t do our job."
Izzo has said more than winning games down the stretch of the season, he wants to make sure his players are getting better and learning each game.
The matchup with Penn State Sunday could be a much different game than when the teams first met with Penn State's confidence being high. Izzo said he hopes his players come ready for fight.
"We’re just not one of those Kentucky teams that are just overly talented," Izzo said. "... I don’t know how we’ll play, but we’re not taking anybody for granted. My staff won’t let it, I won’t let it, I don’t think our seniors will let it."
Penn State has developed a nice inside-out game over the past three games with senior forwards Brandon Taylor and Donovon Jack along with sophomore sharp-shooting guard Shep Garner. The trio has combined to shoot 49 percent and average 50 points per game. Garner leads them with 20 points per game, while shooting 54 percent from the three-point line during Penn State's current win streak.
Senior guard Denzel Valentine said MSU knows this is a dangerous game and has to be wary of Penn State's ability to get hot and put up points quickly.
"I think they’re a hungry team," Valentine said. "They’re talented. They got some good players on their team that are in this league for a reason. If you get those guys going and get those guys feeling confident they can light it up."
MSU is hitting its stride at the end of February and has garnered a lot of national attention, as MSU now has some of the highest odds of winning the NCAA Tournament. Senior Matt Costello said the game against Penn State is crucial, as MSU fights for a one-seed in the tournament.
"We’re playing for the one-seed, we want to be home, we want to give ourselves the best chance to win a national championship," Costello said.
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