Neither team has lived up to expectations with inexperience and injuries to blame, but the impact of the game remains stronger than ever, according to Izzo.

"If you aren’t up for your rivalry game, I don’t think a coach could tell you not to be up," Izzo said. The old cliché is keep it one game a time. Who is kidding who? There are games that are bigger than others. It’s nice for media. It’s nice for conversation."

MSU has been negatively impacted by games missed by senior forward Branden Dawson, freshman guard Javon Bess and sophomore guard Alvin Ellis III, but it doesn't come close to U-M's injury woes.

The Wolverines recently loss junior guard Caris Levert, their best player by a wide margin, for the rest of the season due to a foot injury. Sophomore guard Derrick Walton is questionable for Sunday's match with a foot injury of his own.

Despite U-M's health struggles, MSU is making no assumptions heading into Sunday's game.

"I think they’ve done a good job but injuries are always a funny thing," Izzo said. "I know what we went through last year, what we went through this year. They’ve done a good job and the issues are this year – when you catch a team is important."

Regardless of the stakes — both teams have been mentioned as NIT Tournament candidates this season, despite both teams making it to at least the Elite EIght last year — Izzo said there's nothing quite like a rivalry game.

"The tenor will never change for me, because this is about a rivalry," Izzo said. "It's about something that I have highs, exciting moments as I look back on my years here, and I have anger and disappointing moments as I look back on my years here. I'll never lose those, they'll never, ever change."

MSU hasn't had what could be considered a signature win this season. Though that opportunity likely won't come against Michigan, junior guard Denzel Valentine said the Spartans can make a statement with a win over their in-state rival.

"They’re hungry and they want to prove that they don’t need this player or this player to win, Valentine said. "We’re hungry too. We’re 14-7. We’ve had multiple games which come down to the last possession. We’re hungry and we have to make a statement from this game on throughout the year."