Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

TV: CBS

Radio: 94.9 WMMQ-FM (Lansing)

Key players: Point Guard Zavier Simpson (6-foot, 190, Junior, Lima, Ohio), Forward Ignas Brazdeikis (6-foot-7, 215, Oakville, Ontario, Canada)

The top-seeded Michigan State Spartans have already beaten their archival Michigan twice this season, 77-70 Feb. 24 in Ann Arbor, and 75-63 March 9 in East Lansing. In order to win the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans will have to do it for a third time Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

The Spartans advanced to the final round of the tournament by leading wire-to-wire in a 67-55 victory over Wisconsin Saturday afternoon in the first semifinal. As usual, MSU was led by junior point guard Cassius Winston, who scored 21 despite a litany of lower body injuries. Winston, the Big Ten player of the year, has scored 50 points in the two victories over Michigan this season.

MSU coach Tom Izzo spoke in the United Center about the possibility of facing Michigan while the Wolverines were playing Minnesota in the second semifinal.

“People used to laugh at me when I said, of course I hate my rival,” Izzo said. “Who wants to hug and kiss the guy that took your girlfriend, you know? It doesn't make any sense. But I have great respect for them. Whenever you're playing in games that matters in the state, that's big. Matters in the conference, that's big. When it starts to matter nationally, then you've got yourselves something special."

Michigan coach John Beilein agreed with his counterpart on the prominence of the rivalry.

“You've got great rivalries everywhere, but not ones that are playing this deep in March,” he said. “It's not just great for our state, it's great for college basketball.”

Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis was the key man for the third-seeded Wolverines March 9, scoring 20 points in 22 minutes before fouling out. Speaking after his team defeated seventh-seeded Minnesota 76-49 Saturday afternoon, Brazdeikis recalled his success from a week ago.

“I got into foul trouble,” he said. “They still couldn’t really stop me. That’s just what it was.”

Both teams will look slightly different than they did last time they played.

Michigan redshirt junior forward Charles Matthews injured his right ankle in the first meeting in Ann Arbor, and missed the March 9 game. Matthews returned Friday night against Iowa, and has played 48 minutes in the last two days.

For MSU, junior forward Nick Ward suffered a hairline fracture in his left hand a week before the first meeting between the two teams, and has not played against the Wolverines this season. He, too, returned Friday, recording 25 minutes in the two tournament games.

Brazdeikis admitted that when he saw the tournament bracket, with the two rivals on opposite sides, he was rooting for MSU to make it to the final.

For revenge.

“I had a smile on my face, seeing them run by all excited and stuff (as MSU was exiting the court and Michigan entering in between semifinals),” Brazdeikis said. “I knew that we had to get through (Minnesota) first, but I’m not gonna lie, I’m super excited for this game.”

Izzo was coy about the matchup, emphasizing the championship nature of the game.

“Rivalry aside, it’s always gonna be something,” Izzo said. “Championships supersede rivalries. Would it be sweeter? Maybe.”