This game is one of two that every Spartan fan and every Wolverine fan have had circled on their calendars since the 2014-15 NCAA basketball schedules were released. The rivalry between Michigan State and Michigan is one of the best in all of sports, and bragging rights are just as important as a win, if not more important.

In this year’s football season, the schools showed their school pride in the week before the game. Fans of Michigan State spray-painted the Michigan “M” on the Michigan campus green, while the Michigan Wolverines’ football team drove a metal stake into the turf before the start of the football game in East Lansing.

While there will be no metal stakes driven into the court inside the Breslin Center on Sunday, the rivalry game will have all of the fireworks as the football game, and fans can bet on the student section of the Spartans being out in full force to make the atmosphere a hostile one for the Wolverines.

The Michigan Wolverines made headlines in non-conference play for all the wrong reasons. The Wolverines struggled through the start of the season, suffering back-to-back home losses to the N.J.I.T. Highlanders and the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The loss to the Highlanders sent shock waves across the college basketball landscape, as the Wolverines were nationally-ranked at the time and that was the first time that N.J.I.T. had ever played a ranked team in their history.

Fast forward to conference play, and while the Wolverines have a 6 – 3 record in Big Ten play, not everything has been easy for the program. They lost star Caris LeVert for the rest of the season, which is never a good thing. They have struggled in the majority of their wins, needing to work down the stretch to come away with wins over Northwestern and Rutgers. With that being said, Michigan has recovered from their setbacks this season, and are playing rather well heading into Sunday afternoon’s tilt with the Spartans.

For the Michigan State Spartans, they haven’t had to go through the tough patches that the Wolverines have had to go through, but they have passed their own set of unique challenges.

Their lack of a marquee win in non-conference action has been well-documented and beaten to death, so it would be redundant to bring it up again. They suffered their own head-scratching loss, a 71 – 64 overtime loss at home to the Texas Southern Tigers. Both teams have had rough patches to start the season, but have bounced back nicely in conference play.

In Big Ten play, the Spartans have already been swept by the Maryland Terrapins, and lost a tight game on the road against Nebraska. Michigan State has scored wins over Indiana and Iowa this season, before both teams were nationally ranked.

The green and white are coming off an impressive outing against Rutgers, where they used an 18 – 0 run in the second half to pull away and cruise to a 71 – 51 victory on the road. The Spartans have momentum coming into Sunday, but so do the Wolverines, so this game will be a great contest to keep an eye on. When the Spartans and Wolverines square off, they’re always matches to keep an eye on.

Players to Watch

For the visiting Michigan Wolverines, the loss of Caris LeVert has forced Zak Irvin into a bigger role for the team. Irvin is averaging 13.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore this season. The 6’6’’ forward out of Fishers, IN needs to elevate his game in the absence of LeVert, as he assumes the role of top offensive threat for Michigan. In his last three games, he is averaging 12 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. While those are impressive numbers, he will need to increase his production on Sunday, as he will likely match-up against Michigan State’s senior forward in Branden Dawson, who has been a double-double machine in Big Ten play. If Irvin can have a big performance, the Wolverines have a great chance to knock off the Spartans in East Lansing for the second year in a row.

On the Michigan State side of the ball, look no further than guard Denzel Valentine as the player to watch in this one. The junior guard is averaging 13.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in 2014-15. The Lansing, MI native always seems to find himself flirting with a triple-double, as he does everything well for Tom Izzo and the Spartans. With Valentine, Dawson, Travis Trice, Gavin Schilling, and Bryn Forbes in the mix, the Spartans have plenty of offensive weapons in their starting lineup, which will force teams to keep tabs on everyone on the floor. Look for Valentine to have a big performance on Sunday as the Spartans look to score a big conference win over their instate rivals.

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Last season, the Michigan Wolverines won both meetings between the two schools in the regular season. However, Michigan State won when it counted, knocking off the Wolverines in the Big Ten tournament championship. On Sunday, a win for either team will do wonders for their overall confidence and their tournament resume, as both teams look to improve their chances of reaching the big dance and stay in contention in the conference race.