The Spartans (10-1 overall, 7-0 Big Ten) already have the Legends Division title in hand, thanks to a 30-6 win at Northwestern in their latest outing, but MSU has an opportunity to clinch its third 11-win season in the past four years against the surprising Golden Gophers.

Minnesota (8-3, 4-3) is the Big Ten’s Cinderella team. The Gophers have won four of their last five games and rallied behind the spirit of head coach Jerry Kill, who has battled seizures throughout his career including being carted off the field following one earlier this season.

It will be a test of the Spartans maturity to not look forward to the Buckeyes and send its seniors out with a win. Notable veterans playing their final game in Spartan Stadium include linebackers Max Bullough and Denicos Allen, cornerback Darqueze Dennard, safety Isaiah Lewis – all critical cogs of MSU’s rise among the nationally elite defenses – as well as offensive linemen Fou Fonoti, Blake Treadwell, Dan France, receiver Bennie Fowler and last season’s starting quarterback, Andrew Maxwell.

Men’s basketball
After taking home the Coaches vs. Cancer title in Brooklyn, N.Y., over the weekend, the Spartans have a five day-break until they face Mount St. Mary’s at home on Friday at 1 p.m.

The No. 1 Spartans (6-0 overall) undoubtedly will be heavily favored against the Mountaineers (1-5), who just picked up their first win of the season against American on Saturday. Before the 68-64 win, the Mountaineers had been outscored by an average of 18.2 points and have only been shooting 40 percent from the field. MSU, on the other hand, is shooting 48 percent from the field and is averaging 39.7 rebounds per game compared to St. Mary’s 30.8.

In other words, fans who head to Breslin Center after their Black Friday shopping should expect a lopsided game, but it may not be the case. In their last two home games, the Spartans saw Columbia and Portland battle well into the second half before the Green and White pulled away down the stretch to secure wins.

Ice hockey
After losing four straight games, the MSU hockey team looks to right the ship this weekend with games against Princeton on Friday and Sunday.

The Spartans (3-7 overall) have dropped their last four — two at Michigan Tech and both games in a home-and-home with Western Michigan.

Princeton (3-8 overall, 2-6 ECAC) is coming off a 4-3 win at home against No. 4 Quinnipiac, in which they scored three goals in the final ten minutes for a comeback win.

The Tigers are led by senior forward Andrew Ammon with six goals, and junior forward Tucker Brockett with nine assists.

This is the last series before MSU begins the inaugural Big Ten season with two games at home against Minnesota.

Freshman forward Mackenzie MacEachern netted the only goal for MSU last weekend against Western Michigan, but the series also saw the return of junior forward Matt Berry and sophomore defender John Draeger.

Puck drop for both games against the Tigers is at Munn Ice Arena, Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Women’s basketball
The No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team (4-1 overall) has two games this Thanksgiving break, facing Temple on the road Tuesday, and returning home Sunday to play Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Temple (3-0 overall) will be the first road game for the Spartans since facing No. 6 Notre Dame on opening night. Although the Owls are 3-0, they have not played in 10 days. MSU, coming off four-straight games in which the Spartans scored at least 80 points (team record), will look to make it five-straight as they face a stingy Temple defense, which has held teams to 59.7 points thus far.

Next, MSU will take on IPFW (2-4 overall) at Breslin Center. After dropping the first four games of the season, the Mastodons have strung together two straight wins. The Spartans will rely on a strong offensive attack to go undefeated over the break.

MSU will play Temple at the Liacouras Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m., and return home to face IPFW on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

Men’s soccer
With a trip to the Elite Eight on the line, the MSU men’s soccer team takes on Georgetown in Washington D.C. at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

The 11th-seeded Spartans advanced to the next round with a dramatic 1-0 double overtime win against Louisville.

Junior forward Tim Kreutz’s header with just over four minutes to play in the second overtime sent the Cardinals home, and the Spartans packing their bags to the sweet sixteen.

After a first round bye, the 6-seeded Hoyas beat Old Dominion 3-0 in the second round on Sunday. It was their 14th shutout of the season.

Georgetown won the Big East regular season title, but fell to Providence in the tournament semifinals. They boast two players, Brandon Allen and Steve Neumann, who have double-digit goals on the year.

The winner will play the victor of Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest on Dec. 6 or 7.

Volleyball
The No. 19 volleyball team’s season will come to a close this week. With a 20-10 overall record and 9-9 conference record, the Spartans will have two more opportunities this week to create separation in a crowded Big Ten conference.

On Wednesday, MSU will travel to Ann Arbor to take on the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines (17-12, 7-11). The Wolverines stole a win on the Spartans’ home court on Oct. 23. The loss was the third of four straight for an MSU team that has slumped in recent weeks. A win would provide great momentum as the NCAA Tournament looms.

The Spartans will return to action Saturday, taking on No. 20 Purdue on the road. The Boilers completed a huge upset over then-No. 6 Nebraska last week, leading to a five-spot boost in the AVCA Coaches Poll. Gunning for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans will have a challenge on their hands come Saturday night.

MSU will take on Michigan in Ann Arbor at 7 p.m., and Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. at 7 p.m.

Wrestling
The 4-1 wrestling team will be off to Troy, N.Y., to square off against three other teams in the Northeast Duals meet on Saturday.

First in line against MSU will be Columbia, who placed fifth in the New York State Championships with junior Eric Fajardo placing first in the 174-pound division.

The Spartans will then face 3-0 Rutgers, who won their last match against Clarion, 30-12.

The Spartans will finish their day with a favorable match against North Carolina, who are 1-2 on the season. Those two losses include a 21-24 loss to Wisconsin and a 25-15 defeat at the hands of Hofstra.