That’s why the Spartans will win the Big Ten Tournament and avoid finishing the season with double-digit losses for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

MSU gets the winner of the Northwestern/Iowa tilt on Friday night, two teams the Spartans went a combined 4-0 against in the regular season.

Should the Spartans win that game, they’d most likely take on Wisconsin, a team they almost beat at the hostile Kohl Center on Feb. 9.

In the final, I think it will be the two teams from Michigan, but the third time will be the charm for MSU to beat the Wolverines.

Big Ten Player of the Year Nik Stauskas has torched MSU in both meetings this season.

The difference is that neither of them saw junior forward Branden Dawson play, and his defense is enough to shut the Canadian down in a key situation.

Despite losing two of the last three games with all the pieces like Dawson, senior guard Keith Appling and senior forward Adreian Payne back in the puzzle, the team has played with more confidence as the season came to a close.

Expect that to continue deep into March for a prepared Spartan team hungry for success.

MATT SHEEHAN

Let’s be honest with ourselves -- no one has a clue as to what will happen in Indianapolis this weekend. Every team has won at least five conference games, for crying out loud.

But just like anyone else, I have a prediction that I am keen on - here it goes.

The Green and White will have its final dress rehearsal to play as a full team before the NCAA Tournament kicks off, and they will make it count.

My crystal basketball tells me MSU will mow through Iowa for the third time this season. That’s a lock not just because the Spartans are fresh off beating the Hawkeyes, but because Iowa is as close to trainwreck as you will find in college basketball.

This will be the game where senior guard Keith Appling plays like December Keith Appling, and quite frankly, it needs to be. It needs to be the game where he finds his old self, because they only will have one other Big Ten Tournament game.

Yes, that’s right  - I’m predicting MSU to fall at the paws of the Wisconsin Badgers in the second round.

Before dropping their final game to Nebraska, Wisconsin won eight straight games, proving themselves the conference’s hottest team.

They might not have the most raw talent, but the Badgers have the most balanced team in the Big Ten.

That’s why they’ll top Michigan in the finals, giving Wisconsin a faint hope at grabbing a No. 1 seed for the Big Dance and potentially a deep run in March.