After a huge comeback win on the road against a scrappy Nebraska Cornhuskers team, the Michigan Sate Spartans return home for the team's final regular season game before 2023 postseason play starts. The Spartans welcome in the surging Ohio State Buckeyes into the Breslin Center for a noon Eastern Time tip off on ESPN.

In their first meeting of the season, the Spartans were able to go on the road and control the game from the tip and come away with a dominant 62-41 victory over the Buckeyes. This Ohio State squad is not the same team that MSU faced earlier in the season, though. The Buckeyes are winners of their last two games with victories over Illinois and Maryland.

Michigan State must not take Ohio State lightly if the Spartans want to come away with a win on senior day and work toward improving the team's seeding in the Big Ten Tournament.

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

2 - Tyson Walker (6’0” Sr.)

3 - Jaden Akins (6’4” So.), Pierre Brooks II (6’5” So.)

4 - Joey Hauser (6’9” Sr.), Malik Hall (6’8” Sr.)

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

Injured:

Rankings & Ratings: N/A (AP), N/A (Coaches), No. 31 (NET), No. 27 (Kenpom), No. 25 (Barttorvik)

To say Michigan State started slow in the first half against Nebraska would be an understatement. Facing a large deficit at halftime, whatever was said or discussed in the locker room lit a fire under this Spartans team. The second half was a completely different story as the Spartans executed to perfection on both ends of the floor. The dangerous back-court duo of Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard combined for 29 points and 16 assist, while Jaden Akins continued his sensational play, chipping in 17 points with five 3-pointers made. "Ol Reliable," Joey Hauser once again showed what he has consistently done all season, tallying 20 points and seven rebounds. Off of the bench, Malik Hall and Jaxon Kohler provided some good minutes and contributed big time, making winning plays.

It has been said many of times this year, but when MSU's back-court plays like it did against Nebraska, the Spartans will have the ability to win against any team in the country.

The Spartans will look to continue the phenomenal guard play in MSU's last regular season game against Ohio State, and will hope it continues into a March run. Combining the back-court play with contributions from guys like Akins, Hall, Hauser and Kohler might truly unlock this team's ceiling.

1 - Bruce Thornton (6’2” Fr.), Tanner Holden (6'6" Sr.)

2 - Sean McNeil (6’4” Sr.), Roddy Gayle Jr (6'4" Fr.)

3 - Isaac Likekele (6’5” Sr.), Brice Sensabaugh (6'6" Fr.)

4 - Justice Sueing (6'6" Sr.)

5 - Felix Okpara (6'11" Fr.)

Injured: Zed Key (6'8" Jr.),

Rankings & Ratings: N/A (AP), N/A (Coaches), No. 60 (NET), No. 57 (Kenpom), No. 62 (Barttorvik)

This has been a down year for the Buckeyes to say the least. Before Ohio State's recent wins, the Buckeyes lost 13 out of their last 14 games and they didn't seem to have an answer on how to fix it. In addition to the losing of games, OSU also lost one of the team's better players, Zed Key, to a shoulder injury.

The Buckeyes have found something over their last two games, however, and though it is a little too late for aspirations of the NCAA Tournament (unless OSU can win the Big Ten Tournament, of course), this is a Buckeyes team that has played some great basketball as of late.

The Buckeyes are led by their "diaper-dandy" freshman Brice Sensabaugh, whose game you can sum up pretty simply if you look up the word "bucket" in any basketball dictionary. The talented 6-foot-6 wing uses his frame and smooth shooting stroke to score at all three levels. Sensabaugh averages 16.4 points per game, while shooting 48% from the field and 41.2% from 3-point range.

Redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing, who averages around 12.1 points per game, also has helped the Buckeyes offensively. Sueing has some point-forward abilities and has the ability to fill up the stat sheet.

At the guard positions, the Buckeyes have a good mixture of youth with guys like Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr, and veterans with transfers Sean McNeil and Isaac Likekele. They are all tough and heady players.

Down low, the raw freshman Felix Okpara has shown some flashes as of late. The 6-foot-11 center with an endless wingspan has the ability to alter anything at the rim and he has been rebounding with the best of them recently. In 31 minutes versus Maryland, he tallied a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and he also blocked three shots. Okpara has the physical tools, and now he is beginning to put it together somewhat, and with the absence of Zed Key, the opportunity is there for him.

Alhough the Buckeyes have been playing a lot better basketball as of late, those two wins they had did come at home. Traveling to play at the Breslin Center, where Michigan State is 11-2 this season, on the Spartans' senior day, is a different test.

In Ohio State's losses, defense seems to be the issue, and over the past few games, the Spartans have been playing some of their best offensive basketball. MSU should win this one fairly easily, using their offensive prowess while playing in the friendly confides of the Breslin Center.

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