It will also be an opportunity for the Chippewas to try and obtain their first road win of the season as they come into East Lansing 0-5 in games away from home, along with being 1-6 on the season entirely. 

However, the Spartans have defended the Breslin many times throughout the years when the two teams have faced each other, as they currently hold a 30-8 record overall and a 15-2 record in East Lansing. The Spartans have not loss to the Chippewas at home since 1985, where they lost 86-76. 

The Chippewas are led by first-year head coach and former Spartan All-American and assistant coach Kristin Haynie. Haynie was an assistant coach for CMU before moving up to the head position, and she also was an assistant at MSU for four seasons. 

While the Spartan's head coach Robyn Fralick continues to make an impact on her inaugural season as a head coach, it will be a homecoming for Haynie as she looks to get her first road win as a head coach against her former team on her former stomping grounds. It will also be a homecoming for CMU’s assistant coach Jenna Allen, who played at MSU for three years from 2016-2019. 

Fralick and Haynie are very well acquainted. Fralick even mentioned that the two played AAU basketball together for a time. Fralick also talked about the competitiveness between the two and how that has always made Fralick respect Haynie. 

"She’s somebody that, you know, I’ve seen a lot on the road recruiting, and I’ve got a lot of respect for who she is as a competitor (and) as a person ... and, you know, obviously between the lines it's going to be competitive," Fralick said. "But mostly, I have a lot of respect for who she is and how she does things."

One of the biggest players to look out for in the matchup against the Spartans will be sophomore forward Madisen Wardell, who leads the team in scoring averaging right around 11 points and 5.4 rebounds. Another player to lookout for, especially for the Spartans who have struggled in rebounding, will be senior center Rochelle Norris who is third in the Mid-American conference for individual rebounding, averaging 8.3 a game. 

In its last game against Nebraska, Michigan State was out-rebounded by 16 rebounds, and it was one of the main reasons behind their struggles against the Cornhuskers. The Spartans will have to once again battle down low when facing the Chippewas as they currently lead the MAC in offensive rebounding. 

Coach Fralick talked about the teams rebounding during a press conference before the teams matchup with Central Michigan. 

"The biggest thing I think we can control as a team moving forward is that we have to rebound the ball better," Fralick said. 

Fralick also talked about how the Spartan offense will prepare for a new look on defense for the Chippewas. 

"At Central they have a lot of players that were there last season as well. So one of the biggest differences is they’re doing a lot more of matchup zone, which wasn’t something they did much under Coach Heather," Fralick said. 

Tipoff is set for Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. inside the Breslin Center. The matchup between the Spartans and Chippewas will also be streamed on Big Ten Plus.