Michigan State resumes Big Ten play at Penn State on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the Big Ten Network. This will be the Spartans’ second conference game of the season after suffering a 70-63 loss to Northwestern Sunday night in East Lansing. The Nittany Lions haven’t faced a conference opponent yet. PSU is 6-2 on the season with the only losses to ACC opponents (Clemson and Virginia Tech).

The Spartans will be looking to pick up a bounce back win on the road after losing two straight games to Notre Dame and Northwestern. An 0-2 record to open Big Ten play is not the start head coach Tom Izzo would like to see. Penn State should be well rested as it hasn’t played a game since Wednesday, Nov. 29, a 101-94 loss at Clemson. Michigan State needs to defend the perimeter well if the Spartans want to escape the Bryce Jordan Center with a victory.

1 - A.J. Hoggard (6’4” Jr.), Tre Holloman (6’2” Fr.)

2 - Tyson Walker (6’0” Sr.), Jaden Akins (6’4” So.)

3 - Pierre Brooks II (6’5” So.)

4 - Joey Hauser (6’9” Sr.), Jason Whitens (6’6” Sr.)

5 - Mady Sissoko (6’9” Jr.), Jaxon Kohler (6’9” Fr.), Carson Cooper (6’11” Fr.)

Injured: Malik Hall (6’8” Sr.)

Rankings & Ratings: RV (AP), RV (Coaches), No. 96 (NET), No. 46 (Kenpom), No. 55 (Barttorvik)

Michigan State is still shaken up. Akins isn't 100% conditioning wise. That was evident in the game against Northwestern. Akins played 23 minutes in that game but looked fatigued throughout the contest. Izzo said that Akins won’t be back to full strength for another two weeks. Expect to see him in short shifts against Penn State.

Foul trouble was an issue last game for Walker. He had four fouls with 16 minutes left to play in the second half. Michigan State can’t afford to have foul trouble, especially at the guard position where there is limited depth with Akins not being at 100%. While Holloman can play point guard, along with Hoggard and Walker, he isn’t a reliable scorer. With Holloman on the floor, Michigan State is almost playing four on five on offense. Also, He only averages 9.3 minutes per game, so the Spartans can’t rely on him if foul trouble becomes an issue because it is unknown if he can take an increased role. This team is hanging on by a thread fatigue wise, and foul trouble is not something the Spartans can afford getting into again.

The good news is that Michigan State has an easier stretch coming up after this game. The Spartans will play Brown on Saturday, Dec. 10. Then, MSU has a nice break before playing Oakland on Wednesday, Dec. 21 and Buffalo on Friday, Dec. 30. Big Ten play will resume after that with a visit from Nebraska on Jan. 3 after the New Year. There is light at the end of the tunnel for this tired squad. The Spartans just have to get through this game.

Michigan State will take the approach of getting through this game with toughness and grit. It won’t be pretty, but grinding out a win on the road in Big Ten play would be huge to snap the losing streak.

1 - Jalen Pickett (6’4” Sr.)

2 - Camren Wynter (6’2” Sr.), Dallion Johnson (6’3” Jr.)

3 - Andrew Funk (6’5” Sr.), Myles Dread (6’4” Sr.)

4 - Seth Lundy (6’6” Sr.)

5 - Kebba Njie (6’10” Fr.), Caleb Dorsey (6’7” Jr.)

Injured: no reported injuries

Rankings & Ratings: NR (AP), NR (Coaches), No. 51 (NET), No. 36 (Kenpom), No. 45 (Barttorvik)

Micah Shrewsberry is in his second season as the head coach for Penn State. He went 14-17 in his first season with the Nittany Lions. His previous stops included assistant coaching stints twice at Purdue with a stint with the Boston Celtics of the NBA sandwiched in between, and time with Butler under then head coach Brad Stevens who he later joined in Boston.

Penn State was a popular Big Ten “sleeper” pick in the preseason. The Nittany Lions have an experienced squad. PSU's starting lineup contains four seniors, a rarity in the one-and-done culture of today’s college basketball. Those four seniors all average over 10 points per game as well.

Shrewsberry does a good job of creating a system that fits the roster he has. Penn State doesn’t have a super big team. Sometimes, Penn State will go with five guards on the floor to spread out the defense. The biggest weakness for the Nittany Lions is its post presence. Michigan State should be able to win the rebounding battle as PSU have a rebounding margin of zero (235th in D1).

What Penn State does well is shoot the 3-point ball. The Nittany Lions shoot an average of 25 3-pointers per game. That is sixth-most in the country. Not only do they shoot a lot from beyond the arc, but they also shoot 40.42% from behind the arc, which is good for 14th in the nation. The Spartans will have their hands full defensively as Penn State has the ability to stretch the floor which could open up driving lanes in the paint.

As for the players to watch, keep an eye out for Pickett. He averages 34 minutes per game and is the most valuable player for Penn State. Pickett puts up 16 points, 6.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. He takes care of the basketball as well. Pickett is fourth in the nation in assist to turnover ratio.

Lundy is another player to watch for Penn State. He is a versatile guy that can play the two, three and four positions. Expect to see Shrewsberry mix and match various players throughout this game.

Michigan State will need to play good perimeter defense if it wants a chance to win this game. The Spartans don’t have the depth to go 3-pointer for 3-pointer with a good shooting team like Penn State. If the Nittany Lions get hot from deep, that will open passing and driving lines in the paint for MSU.

Balance is another key in this matchup. Penn State doesn’t have a great post presence, so Sissoko, Hauser and Kohler will need to dominate the paint. That includes winning the rebounding battle. 3-pointers will need to be made as well. Michigan State is 82nd in the country in 3-point percentage, and the Spartans will need to continue to shoot the ball well from deep.

The Spartans will want to control the tempo. MSU needs to slow the game down and make this a sluggish, defensive battle. This is going to be another tough game that will test the resolve of this young Michigan State team.

Penn State will be the favorite in this game. Its 3-point shooting might be too much for the Spartans but expect Michigan State to put up a good fight.