Both the Michigan State Spartans and the Northwestern Wildcats have underachieved this season, which comes as a bit of a surprise to basketball fans everywhere.

The Michigan State Spartans are a perennial contender in the Big Ten conference, but have struggled so far in 2014-15 to gain any consistent positive momentum. Luckily, the rest of the Big Ten, outside of Wisconsin, has struggled as well and the Spartans are still in the thick of things in the race for second.

For the Northwestern Wildcats, they were projected to be a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, like they have been in recent years. However, this year has been another letdown in a string of recent disappointing seasons for the team.

On Tuesday night, Michigan State needs a win to stay in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament berth. A loss would severely hinder their chances of making the big dance. On the other side, Northwestern will be looking to play the role of spoiler, as they look to salvage whatever they can from their 2014-15 season.

These two teams have already met once this season, back on January 11th inside the Breslin Center in East Lansing. The Spartans entered as heavy favourites, but had to put in some extra work to come away with the victory. The Wildcats were hot from long distance, and gave the Spartans all they could handle. In the end, Michigan State was able to come away with an 84 – 77 overtime win over the Wildcats.

On Tuesday, the scenery switches to the Welsh-Ryan Arena when the Wildcats welcome the Spartans to town for the rematch. Both teams are coming off a loss in their last time out, so a win in this game will do wonders for both teams.

Michigan State (15 – 8, 6 – 4) is coming off a home loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini, 59 – 54, this past weekend. The Spartans found themselves playing catch up throughout the game, and were never able to overcome Illinois’ strong shooting performance. The loss ended the Spartans’ two-game winning streak, adding to the team’s overall problems this season. The Spartans will be looking for a bounce-back win on Tuesday in a game where they enter as 9-point favourites.

The Northwestern Wildcats (10 – 13, 1 – 9) have not enjoyed much success in Big Ten play this season. After opening up with a win over Rutgers to push their record to 10 – 4 on the year, the wheels have fallen off for the Wildcats. In their last time out, the Wildcats suffered a 65 – 50 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, which was their ninth straight loss. To be fair, five of their losses have come by seven points or less. The team has been competitive in their games, but they haven’t been able to taste victory since December 30th in their win over the Scarlet Knights.

On Tuesday night, the outcome of the game will come down to the play of a select pair of individuals, as both teams look to regain some positive momentum and bounce back from tough losses.

Players to Watch

For the visiting Michigan State Spartans, the play of Denzel Valentine will go a long way in determining the outcome of the game. The junior guard out of Lansing, MI has flirted with triple-doubles on several occasions this year, including a 25 point, 7 rebound, and 7 assist performance against Michigan back on February 1st. On the year, Valentine is filling the stat sheet, averaging 14.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Last time these two teams meet, Valentine put up 17 points and 5 rebounds. The Spartans will be looking for another big performance from arguably their top offensive threat as they go for their 7th Big Ten victory of the year.

For the hometown Northwestern Wildcats, the play of freshman guard Bryant McIntosh has been a bright spot in what has otherwise been a rough season. The first-year guard out of New Castle, IN has emerged as the top offensive threat for Northwestern this year, and is a star-in-the-making for the program. McIntosh is averaging 12.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while playing in 33.3 minutes per contest. Last time out against the Spartans, McIntosh recorded an impressive 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Wildcats will need another big performance from their freshman sensation if they want to have a chance of ending their lengthy losing streak on Tuesday.

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The Michigan State Spartans are looking for a bounce-back win to keep themselves in the conversation for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. While they should make the field of 68, a loss to the lowly Wildcats would severely hinder their chances. On the flip side, the Wildcats are playing for their pride as the season winds down, and will have no issues of assuming the role of spoiler as the season comes to a close. Michigan State cannot afford to overlook Northwestern, so be sure to check this one out as Tuesday night progresses.