Minnesota is a team with its back against the wall.
At least that's how MSU head coach Tom Izzo and the No. 11 Spartans are preparing for the fifth-place Golden Gophers.
After Minnesota beat then-No. 19 Wisconsin by 10 points on Feb. 5, the Gophers seemed a lock for an NCAA Tournament bid.
But in the games that followed, Minnesota blew a second-half lead against Northwestern and then lost at Indiana, leaving the team on the bubble again.
"We're a walking billboard for what a difference two weeks makes," Minnesota head coach Dan Monson said. "We're a team with a very small margin for error."
MSU beat Minnesota 69-55 last month by shutting down star guard Vincent Grier to 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting. But Grier has been hot lately, with two 32-point performances in the past three games.
MSU (17-4 overall, 8-2 Big Ten) will take on Minnesota (16-8, 6-5) 7 p.m. today at Breslin Center.
Although MSU knows that shutting down Grier will be a priority, other players have hurt MSU in the past.
Guard Aaron Robinson always seems to hurt MSU, Izzo said, and center Jeff Hagen had 16 points on an injured ankle earlier this season against MSU. The Spartans will try to slow Grier down on both ends of the court, Izzo said.
"This will be a little bit of a wounded team, a little bit of a desperate team," Izzo said of Minnesota. "I think they're a NCAA Tournament team. They still have a ton to play for."
March dreams?
Another team fighting for postseason life is Indiana (11-10, 6-4).
Hoosiers head coach Mike Davis was criticized early this season after his young team barely survived a tough nonconference schedule. But Indiana has fought back, getting wins over Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
And now Davis believes the Hoosiers need at least four more wins (with six games left) to sneak into the tournament.
He's also hoping the NCAA Tournament selection committee will look at a Dec. 22, 74-73 loss to Charlotte as a victory.
In that game, Charlotte's Brendan Plavich hit a half-court shot at the buzzer that officials counted after reviewing the replay.
The NCAA issued a rules interpretation two weeks later explaining how officials should properly review replay clocks to avoid any future errors.
"That was a win," Davis said. "I look at that game as a win. I'm not even counting that game as a loss."
Still battling
When MSU travels to Purdue on Saturday, there will be some extra fans cheering for the Boilermakers.
Former players and longtime friend and former MSU coach Jud Heathcote are invited to celebrate one of head coach Gene Keady's last weekend home games before he retires after 25 years coaching at the school, dubbed Gene Keady Day.
What is Izzo's role in the celebration?
"They've asked me to be the sacrificial lamb," Izzo joked on Monday. "I really don't have interest in that, but that's what they've asked."
