The Spartans will have three days off to try to fix the issues before Michigan comes to town for the first — and potentially only — rivalry matchup of the season. The first game scheduled between MSU and Michigan was postponed due to COVID-19 within Michigan’s program.

The Wolverines were riding a two-game losing streak before having to take a break because of the COVID outbreak. Michigan lost its first game back to Illinois, but has since won three straight games over Maryland, Indiana and Northwestern. 

Michigan State will have their hands full with yet another tough opponent in Michigan on Saturday. The Spartans will have to show up with more energy and fervor than what they displayed in the loss to Illinois if they want to compete with a desperate and hot Michigan squad. 

After the rough start to the season, Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard and his players have seemed to figure out some of the offensive issues that plagued the Wolverines in its losses this year. Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson has been at the forefront of the resurgence, averaging 18.3 points and 6.7 rebounds over the last three games.

Freshman guard Caleb Houstan and freshman center Moussa Diabate have been getting stronger and stronger as the year progresses and are living up to the five-star ranking. Houstan is shooting 43.6% from three in conference play and Diabate averages a consistent 9.1 points per game from the other forward position alongside Dickinson.

The young and dynamic trio is led by fifth-year senior point guard Eli Brooks, who is the leader on and off the court for the Wolverines. Brooks is a secondary playmaker behind graduate student point guard DeVante’ Jones but consistently makes shots or plays off the drive to keep Michigan’s halfcourt offense afloat. 

Michigan has started to use this formula to get some momentum going while Michigan State continues to fluctuate between the highest highs and the lowest lows on both ends of the court. Here are some matchups and factors to Saturday’s game that will decide the outcome.

Max Christie vs Caleb Houstan

As mentioned previously, Houstan has been shooting the cover off the ball and has been a large reason why Michigan’s offense has gotten better. The freshman has made 11 threes in the last three games for Michigan and has posted his two best scoring nights in the last two games with 18 and 19 points. 

On the MSU side of things, the five-star freshman on the wing is coming off a rare off night that contributed to the loss to Illinois. Max Christie, normally a consistent scoring force and lockdown defender, was held to a season-low two points in the loss and will need to bounce back strong by Saturday. 

Christie, MSU’s best perimeter defender, will be tasked with guarding Houstan for stretches on Saturday and will need to try to temper his hot shooting stroke. While doing that, Christie will need to try to get back to his normal scoring output (10.1 ppg) to help the offense flow. 

Can Michigan State slow down Dickinson?

Dickinson has come into his own since having to miss games with COVID-19. He has been the focal point of the offense from the low post and as the rolling man in ballscreens. He’s averaged 18.3 points and used the amount of attention he receives to facilitate easy baskets for his teammates.

Michigan State, as always, will deploy multiple big men to try to slow down Dickinson. Senior center Marcus Bingham Jr., who struggled initially after his return from the virus, has come into his own again in the last two road trips to Illinois and Wisconsin. Junior center Julius Marble II has been relatively quiet offensively since his career-high 18 points against Northwestern but has been a steady force defensively.

The two, along with brief stints from senior forward Joey Hauser and sophomore center Mady Sissoko, will have to be up to the challenge to try and disrupt Dickinson’s rhythm on the offensive end to slow down Michigan in the halfcourt. 

Will the good Michigan State show up?

It’s no secret that Michigan State has had some Jekyll and Hyde performances in the first month of 2022. The ups and downs have created plenty of positive moments and plenty of low ones. Michigan State is a relatively inexperienced team struggling to find a level of consistency that will win games in the Big Ten.

MSU needs to have the good version of themselves show up Saturday afternoon against a talented and desperate Michigan team that is finding out their formula of success as they continue to play together. Saturday can be a stabilizing game for a top four run in conference play for MSU or the beginning of Michigan’s resurgence to the top of the conference.