MSU (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) kept its conference title hopes alive and well before quickly shifting focus to a home matchup against No. 13 Purdue on Tuesday.

The Spartans sit one game behind Michigan (20-5, 12-2) atop the Big Ten standings and will finish the regular season with six games, five of which are against ranked opponents, including the conference’s top four teams — a daunting stretch made even tougher by an expanded Big Ten and unfamiliar scouting challenges.

"That’s the 'positive-negative' about this schedule and the way it is at the end of the year with these first-time preps. It’s a lot more difficult," Izzo said during a press conference Monday. "The most important thing about Saturday is it still keeps us in the hunt."

The gutsy takeover late at Illinois was a turning point in MSU’s season after a turbulent stretch earlier in the month exposed many of its weaknesses — flaws that opposing teams can scout on film. Illinois, which needed to beat MSU for just a fighting chance at the Big Ten title, failed to adjust on both ends of the floor as the Spartans found their rhythm. 

The pluck and resolve Izzo and MSU showed down the stretch in Champaign is something they can refer to throughout the rest of their backloaded schedule. It wasn’t the first time this season they proved capable of overcoming rough spots, but the comeback effort was validation after a series of setbacks.

"We did get punched in the mouth, but it was a strange punch in the mouth," Izzo said. "(Illinois) hit some really good shots, I mean, right off the bat … and the place was electric."

MSU faces a tough challenge Tuesday against Purdue (19-7, 11-4), which enters East Lansing on a two-game losing streak — its first in conference play this season. This will be the teams' first meeting since Zach Edey departed for the NBA.

Led by familiar guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, Purdue leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (49%) and has averaged a league-best 7.9 steals per game in conference play. Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has averaged nearly 25 points per game over his last five and is third in the Big Ten at 19.4 points per game. 

MSU has defeated Purdue just once in its last 10 meetings, dating back to 2019. The Boilermakers' personnel will present problems for the Spartans, even without Edey, which features bigger lineups paired with crafty guards who make good decisions. 

For the first time in years, Purdue finds itself outside the Big Ten title race. The Spartans know who they are at this juncture and control their destiny for the school’s first Big Ten title since 2020. 

"We’ve been pretty steady and solid, a lot in a good way. Defensively, rebounding, free-throw shooting … even field goal shooting. A couple in a bad way: three-point shooting, turnovers," Izzo said. "So, we have to correct the ones we gotta correct, and we've got to continue to build on the ones we’ve been good at. I think (the players) are ready to handle that, whether they’re ready to handle the teams and the onslaught we’ve got coming up."

MSU and Purdue tip off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Breslin Center, with streaming available exclusively on Peacock.