Despite their record, head coach Tom Izzo is prepared for a fight. U-M has struggled with injuries this season, as sophomore guard Derrick Walton will join junior guard Caris Levert on the bench Tuesday. Through the injuries, U-M head coach John Beilein has managed to keep the Wolverines competitive in nearly every game.

There's also the fact that the Spartans haven't won a game in Ann Arbor since Jan. 26, 2010, a streak they would like to break on Tuesday. 

“As far as Michigan goes and rivalry games go, records don’t matter, you’ve heard all the clichés," Izzo said. "But they’ve been in every game, they played awfully well, I thought, coulda shoulda beat Illinois, they were up seven late in the game. Every game other than Iowa at home, they’ve been in."

U-M came close to defeating MSU at Breslin Center a few weeks ago when senior forward Max Bielfeldt tipped in a miss with 20 seconds to go. But the Spartans outscored the Wolverines 10-0 in the overtime period to win, 76-66. 

MSU's win over the Buckeyes Saturday was their strongest victory of the season, and Izzo wants to see the Spartans build on that momentum.

"Do we keep improving in the areas we need to improve on?" Izzo said. "Taking care of the ball, shooting the ball, making some free throws, and not forget that our staples of rebounding and defense are still gonna be very key down the stretch. And we are getting down the stretch now, with six games left. This is the stretch time."

Junior guard Denzel Valentine and junior forward Matt Costello tied the series between the two schools with the win in early February. But neither player has won in Ann Arbor, something Valentine wants to change.

"It’s a tough environment and they always play well when they play us," Valentine said. "Me and Matt are tied now in our games, so this is a big game. This is a big game. We want to go up in our series so we’ve got to win a down there."

With the game being in Ann Arbor, Valentine expects a hostile environment. 

"They have a good crowd and they get pretty loud over there," Valentine said. "Definitely top three road games. Hostile environments. It’s fun playing there. I like the gym, I like the environment and everything about it. Just have to get a win there."