“We’ll have a good test of our character at LSU,” MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said. “They have five returning starters, and it’ll be all seniors versus a basically freshman and sophomore Michigan State, but that’s what we look forward to.”

Both the Spartans and Tigers ran through their first two opponents with MSU winning its games by an average of 25 points per game while LSU won its first two contests by an average of 33.5 points per game.

These two teams met last season, resulting in a 65-50 LSU victory at Breslin Center. Sophomore center Allyssa DeHaan had her first taste of playing a tough post player in LSU’s Sylvia Fowles, who scored 21 points with 14 rebounds. DeHaan had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

A year later, DeHaan is pumped for the rematch.

“Every time I step on the court, it’s a learning experience,” she said. “Especially last year, being a freshman and with (Fowles’) experience and knowledge of the game and what she brings to the court, it was great for me to learn last year.”

Merchant expressed confidence in her sophomore’s composure in facing such a big challenge.

“Once you have a year under your belt, you see things a whole lot differently,” Merchant said. “I think she has a little more confidence, surely, than she did a year ago and I think she’ll respond. Certainly it’ll be an interesting matchup, but I think Allyssa has a lot more wisdom with her experience this summer to challenge Sylvia.”

After losing junior forward Aisha Jefferson to a season-ending knee injury in the exhibition season, the Spartans have been forced to rely heavily on their freshman class — with three of the four starting both games this season.

Guard Brittney Thomas was expected to be reliable at the point, but forwards Kalisha Keane and Cetera Washington both have emerged as strong scoring and rebounding threats.

“We started three freshmen both nights and they have a nice presence about them,” Merchant said. “They’re still freshmen and they still make some freshman mistakes, but I think that the effort is there.”

But with LSU starting such an experienced lineup — all four players who started both games are seniors — it could be a learning experience all-around for the Spartans.

“I know they have experienced players and have everyone back from last year, but I’m excited and I think they’ll be surprised by what we can bring,” Thomas said.