Ann Arbor and East Lansing are 65 miles apart, but when MSU and Michigan meet on the basketball court, the gap in talent seems much farther.

MSU has toppled U-M seven straight times by an average of 20.4 points.

But when the teams tip-off at 8 p.m. today in Breslin Center, U-M (8-9 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) and MSU (11-8, 2-4) will be as close competitively as they have been in four years.

Spartan head coach Tom Izzo remembers the three-year period before the win-streak.

“They were lopsided the other way too for three years, and I was on the other side of it,” he said.

With the Spartans struggling in conference play, both teams appear on the same plane talent-wise, something that hasn’t been the case in recent years.

Izzo said one area of concern is many of the current Spartans weren’t on the floor during the trounces over the Wolverines, while the older U-M players suffered through the drubbings.

“It’s a good rivalry, and it’s a healthy rivalry,” Izzo said. “Most of my guys were not part of those big wins for us, and they have four or five guys who have been part of those big losses for them.”

But one Spartan who does remember a dominant-U-M era is sophomore guard Marcus Taylor, a Lansing native.

“That’s always in the back of my mind; I know it’s in the back of Coach Izzo’s mind,” Taylor said. “They came in here and tried to embarrass Michigan State. That’s why in the past few years, we’ve tried to beat them pretty good.”

Taylor leads the Spartans in scoring and assists per game, averaging 15.6 and 5.5, respectively.

In Izzo’s first five games in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines won each contest by an average of 16.8 points. This time, the Spartans will have to try to shut down a well-rounded offense, Izzo said.

Junior forward Adam Ballinger said the Wolverine attack can come from a variety of spots and will be difficult to derail.

“Defensively, it’s going to be a struggle because they have so many weapons - they’ve got some down-low guys, some guys who can drive and kick and they’ve got some shooters,” Ballinger said. “Defensively we just need to be solid all-around.”

Forward LaVell Blanchard leads the Wolverines in scoring with 14.7 points per game and in rebounding with seven boards per contest.

Taylor said the Wolverines think they can halt the Spartans’ in-state dominance.

“They’re coming in with a lot of confidence because they’re playing well,” Taylor said. “We have to match their confidence, and take them out of their game.

“(Guard Bernard) Robinson (Jr.) and LaVell are playing their best basketball of the year right now.”

The Spartans are coming off of eight days rest, after losing 75-71 at Iowa. Taylor said the break gave the team a chance to refocus on the conference schedule.

Izzo said the lone meeting with the Wolverines this season comes at a crucial time.

“There’s no question this is a big week for us, and the Michigan game seems to make it bigger,” he said. “And yet, right now every game we play has a little more importance because of the position we’ve put ourselves in.”

Ballinger said it’s not hard getting ready for such a big rival as the Wolverines, but having a buzzing home crowd only makes it easier.

“We’re kind of going to have to use the home-court advantage - getting ready, getting pumped up and feeding off the crowd,” he said.

Dan Woike can be reached at woikedan@msu.edu.