“Undefeated or not undefeated, we still have to play them,” Green said Monday. “And undefeated or not undefeated, they’re still a good team. Of course you want to play an undefeated, No. 1-ranked team, but they’re still the same team they were going to be if they were undefeated or not.”

Now-second-ranked OSU (24-1, 11-1) lost its first game of the season Saturday, 71-67, at No. 10 Wisconsin. And although MSU had the entire weekend to prepare for the Buckeyes, head coach Thad Matta and his team had only two days of preparation before the two teams take the floor at 9 p.m. Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio.

“It’s hard with such a quick turnaround because you’ve got to get yourself ready to play again,” Matta said in a teleconference Monday. “But that’s the beauty of college basketball. Whether you win or you lose, you have to go on to the next game.”

Although the Spartans and head coach Tom Izzo had some extra time to get themselves ready for OSU, he said preparation hasn’t been any easier due to the questionable status of junior forward Delvon Roe.

In the closing moments of Thursday’s 75-57 win against Penn State, Roe was fouled and went down grabbing at his knee. Roe, who played on a torn meniscus last season, showed no structural damage in his knee, but his status for Tuesday still is up in the air.

“This has been a hard prep week because you can’t prepare like you normally prepare,” Izzo said. “If I had Delvon Roe the whole week, there’s a completely different way I would play them.”

The possibility of not having Roe could not have come at a worse time for MSU, as the Spartans are going up against one of the best big men in the country in freshman Jared Sullinger.

In 12 conference games, Sullinger is averaging a double-double (18.6 points and 10.5 rebounds) and is one of the favorites for Big Ten Player of the Year.

Green said Sullinger’s effectiveness comes from his high basketball IQ, which makes it tough to put multiple guys on him at one time.

“I think the one thing that makes him really good and makes their team really is, when the ball goes in, teams double team him and they do all those things, but he’s such a great passer out of the post that it keeps a team off balance,” Green said.

With or without Roe, Izzo said he hopes to throw different bodies at Sullinger, such as the bigger sophomore center Derrick Nix or the more athletic freshman center Adreian Payne.

Izzo also said the key to slowing Sullinger is to try to force him to catch the ball farther away from the basket.

“If he gets the ball on the block or in the paint at all, he’s very hard to stop without fouling,” Izzo said. “The work you do before he gets the ball is almost more important than the work you do after he gets the ball.”

Another player with the responsibility of stopping Sullinger likely will be Green. Green said he is relishing the opportunity to take on one of the nation’s best teams as heavy underdogs.

“All you have is the guys on the court with you and the coaching staff that believe in you,” Green said. “What a better chance to make a mark when your back’s against the wall and everybody is up against you.”