As the No. 3 MSU men’s basketball team prepares for a high-profile clash with rival Michigan on Saturday at Breslin Center, the Spartans are keeping mum on the name of their next opponent.

Senior guard Keith Appling continually referred to the Wolverines as “those guys,” and redshirt freshman forward Kenny Kaminski, who grew up an Ohio State fan, said the rivalry between MSU and U-M is more intense than that between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.

“They’re the other school,” Kaminski said. “I’m at Michigan State, and they’re the other ones.”

The Spartans trounced U-M 75-52 the last time the teams met in East Lansing, but U-M returned the favor when the Spartans went to Ann Arbor in early March.

Then-sophomore guard Trey Burke picked Appling’s pocket with 22 seconds left in the game, and ran down the open court to seal a win for U-M in the top-ten matchup.

“I still have a sour taste in my mouth since the last time we played those guys,” Appling said. “It’s a new year and a different opportunity to play a pretty good team.”

The Spartans will have even more of a mountain to overcome due to junior forward Branden Dawson slamming his hand on a table and breaking it. He’ll be sidelined for four to five weeks.

The last time the Wolverines won at Breslin Center, former Spartan guard Korie Lucious was dismissed from the program two days before the game. Now, Dawson has been ruled out the same amount of time before tipoff.

Dawson’s absence leaves a gaping hole in the starting rotation that might be filled by Kaminski, a player who has had his own ups and downs this season.

“It’s been my dream to start a Division I game, and that’s what it’s looking like right now,” he said. “I grew up hating (Michigan), and now that I’m here that hatred is even more. I’m really excited about it.”

Since losing to No. 1 Arizona on Dec. 14, the Wolverines have gone on an eight-game winning streak, including back-to-back wins against top-10 teams in the last two games.

Head coach Tom Izzo said this is a different team than U-M squads of the past without Burke and with the Big Ten’s leading scorer in Nik Stauskas.

“Last year (Stauskas) was the guy in the corner who could shoot it, now he’s more of the creator,” Izzo said. “He makes more plays. We’ll probably come in different than most teams have. If that’s good or bad, we’ll find out.”

ESPN’s College GameDay will be making its third trip to East Lansing for a basketball game, the most in the Big Ten.

The Spartans are 2-0 when the TV show comes to town, and the last time, the Spartans beat Illinois 61-57 in 2011.

Gates at Breslin Center open at 8 a.m. for the event, and the show begins broadcasting at 10 a.m.

With injuries and suspensions, this season has been a long one to date for the Spartans.

Still, Izzo said the team will use Dawson’s injury and the hype surrounding big rivalry game to propel them when they take the court Saturday night.

“By tomorrow, (Dawson) will be out, he’ll be pumped up for them and we’ll regroup like we always do,” Izzo said. “Tonight we’ll try to help him through the disappointment, and tomorrow, he’ll be helping us. We’ve been through enough (this season), and we’ll be ready to play.