7:35 p.m. Saturday

Alex Altman: As irrational, nonsensical and unprofessional as it might be, my MSU fanhood simply does not permit me to pick against the Spartans when they’re playing U-M under any circumstances. So, take the following prediction for what it’s worth, but I have a feeling that the Spartans are ripe for their first weekend sweep of the season. The young guys step up in the absence of veteran Tim Crowder, and Jeff Lerg shines in his last regular season matchup against the Wolverines.

MSU 4, U-M 2; MSU 2, U-M 2

Cash Kruth: I asked our resident hockey expert, Alex DiFilippo, what to do with this pick, and contradicting his “expert” status he said, “I don’t know, do whatever you want.” Alright then. The young Spartans got a nice win last weekend against Miami (Ohio) and even though Tim Crowder is out with an injury, I like the Spartans to get another split this weekend. MSU will win at Joe Louis Arena, but will be in for a rude awakening once the two teams head back to Ann Arbor.

MSU 4, U-M 2; U-M 4, MSU 0

Alex DiFilippo: The Wolverines have won three straight against the Spartans this season, and two of the wins were by four or more goals. But MSU has won two straight on Friday nights since the winter break. So what streak is going to end this weekend? If the Spartans can contain the nation’s second leading goal scorer in Louie Caporusso, I think they have a good chance to steal a game. But the environment at Yost Ice Arena will simply be too tough for the young Spartans to escape with their first weekend sweep.

MSU 3, U-M 1; U-M 5, MSU 1

Joe Terry: Last week’s split with Miami (Ohio) was encouraging, but the loss of Crowder will be devastating to an already young team. It’s unfortunate the young Spartans’ first test comes against an extremely fast Michigan team.

U-M 4, MSU 1; U-M 3, MSU 2

Men’s Basketball at Ohio State

3:45 p.m. Sunday

AA: Coming off the heels of a discouraging loss to Northwestern, it’ll be interesting to see how the Spartans respond against an upstart Ohio State team. MSU has proven it has the mental toughness to bounce back from the tough loss, but I have a bad feeling about this one. I’d feel a lot better if I knew Raymar Morgan, sick with the flu, would be healthy. But based on what we’ve seen in the past couple games, that’s wishing a little too much. Kalin Lucas continues his onslaught on opposing defenses but gets little help from his struggling wings as the Spartans drop their second straight.

Ohio State 71, MSU 66

CK: After the Spartans last played the Buckeyes (a 67-58 win on Jan. 6), MSU struggled in four straight games before finally losing to Northwestern on Wednesday. This is a pivotal game not only in the Big Ten race, but also for MSU’s confidence. Against Penn State, MSU head coach Tom Izzo was happy to survive on the road while playing so terribly. Although he’ll always be happy for the win, the Spartans need to play some of their best ball this weekend. Here’s saying they will.

MSU 73, Ohio State 61

AD: I smell a blowout. After a disappointing and disgusting loss to Northwestern on Wednesday night, the Spartans are going to come out hungrier than ever to try and regain their status as the Big Ten’s best team. MSU’s Chris Allen will bounce back from his seven turnover, 0-for-8 night behind the arc and put up 20 points to lead the Spartans.

MSU 79, Ohio State 52

JT: So, the loss to Northwestern was surprising. In fact, I told a friend MSU would win that game by 40 points. That aside, Ohio State doesn’t have a ton of players that can make shots from the parking lot. The Spartans should be angry and embarrassed after Wednesday’s performance, and don’t expect them to lose two straight.

MSU 76, Ohio State 65

Women’s Basketball vs. Wisconsin

2:00 p.m. Sunday

AA: The Spartans are cruising right now to the tune of three straight wins, and have a good chance to make it four against the Badgers. Not surprisingly, Allyssa DeHaan has the key to MSU’s renaissance. She’s been in double figures in each of her last three games, and five of her last seven. She goes for another big game against the Badgers as the Spartans win big.

MSU 65, Wisconsin 47

CK: To do some research on the Badgers, I ventured to their Web site where I found they lost to South Dakota State to open the year. Turns out the Jackrabbits (18-2 as of Wednesday) are pretty good, so I’ll cut Wisconsin some slack for that one. Both Wisconsin and MSU have had a bit of an up and down season, but I’ll give the edge to the Spartans at Breslin Center as redshirt freshman Lykendra Johnson leads MSU to the win with a double-double.

MSU 68, Wisconsin 62

AD: The Spartans are the best team on the offensive glass in the Big Ten and Wisconsin is the worst. Expect MSU to keep this trend going and for Allyssa DeHaan to dominate the Badgers in the paint. MSU’s Aisha Jefferson will back up DeHaan, and the Spartans will narrowly win a low scoring game.

MSU 52, Wisconsin 49

JT: This game is going to be ugly. The Badgers lead the conference in scoring defense and like to keep their games under 60 points. MSU has already proven it can grind out low-scoring wins with its 41-37 performance at Michigan. With this one at home, it shouldn’t be that low, but defense will be the game.

MSU 54, Wisconsin 48