Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

The Wildcats got off to a fast start this season. A favorable schedule allowed them to jump out to a 13-1 record. However, after Northwestern entered into the heart of Big Ten play they struggled, having gone just 2-5 in its last seven games.

Despite this, MSU head coach Tom Izzo is keeping his team focused. The Spartans can't afford anymore slip ups if they're hoping to climb back into contention for the regular season Big Ten crown.

"Every game’s going to be a critical game because you’re not only in the middle of the Big Ten season, but you’re getting down to the last half of the season and into tournament play," Izzo said. "So it’s about getting better right now. So critical can mean a lot of different things. But I look at it more as we need to be improving every game now. We can’t have two steps forward, one step back, or in one case, one step forward, two steps back. We can have baby steps forward, but hopefully you’re moving forward each and every game now, in some way, shape or form.”

Northwestern's strengths lay with their guards. Sophomore Bryant McIntosh leads the Wildcats with 15.1 points and seven assists per game, while senior Tre Demps chips in with 14.1 points per game. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, though, there have been times this season when both McIntosh and Demps have struggled to get their shots to fall.

"They ran into a tough situation where they’re just not shooting the ball as well, but I think we’re going to find we’re going to get a hungry, angry team," Izzo said. "Hopefully we can keep our hands on McIntosh and Demps because it is a very good back court that has experience and just has not shot the ball well as of late."

Making his presence felt on the inside for the Wildcats is senior big man Alex Olah. Olah has struggled with a foot injury this season, but being a 7-foot player with averages of 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, he could present some problems for the Spartans.

"He's just big and strong and surprisingly athletic for how big he is," senior forward Matt Costello said. "He's a tough cover ... we're just going to have to keep moving him around and getting him tired."

In the end of it all, though, even with the Spartans currently navigating an easier part of their schedule, they're taking every game as serious as they can.

"Every game's always been important," junior guard Eron Harris said. "That's why we were able to make that big streak in the beginning, because we took it that serious every single game. And so we're not going to look at who it is, what it is. ... We can't take anymore L's."