After dropping a heartbreaker at the buzzer at home against Ohio State, the Spartans must now travel to Mackey Arena to take on the No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers as the calendar shifts for March. The Spartans have not won in West Lafayette since a 94-74 victory on Feb. 20, 2014 and have dropped three-straight in the series to the Boilermakers.

While Michigan State is coming off the home loss to the Buckeyes, the Boilermakers enter Saturday's prime time showdown coming off a victory in Ann Arbor over the Michigan Wolverines. Start time is set for 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and the game will be broadcast on FOX.

Michigan State: Depth Chart and State of the Team

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

2 - Tyson Walker (6’0” Graduate Sr.)

3 - Jaden Akins (6’4” Jr.), Coen Carr (6’5” Fr.), Gehrig Normand (6'5" Fr.)

4 - Malik Hall (6’8” Graduate Sr.), Xavier Booker (6'11" Fr.)

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

Injured: Jeremy Fears Jr. (6'2" Fr.)

Rankings & Ratings: No. N/A, RV (AP), No. N/A, RV (Coaches), No. 24 (NET), No. 19 (Kenpom), No. 19 (Barttorvik)

Michigan State is coming off one of its more disappointing seasons of last as the team dropped a a heartbreaker to Ohio State. The Spartans led by 10 points at the break and had a 12-point lead with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Yet MSU could not hang on as Dale Bonner hit a trey as time expired to sink the Spartans 60-57.

Graduate forward Malik Hall led Michigan State with 15 points and seven rebounds, while graduate guard Tyson Walker added 12 points. The Spartans now face their toughest test of the season as they travel to take on one of the best teams in the country at one of the most difficult arenas to play in searching for a victory. This game is the start of a massive week for MSU who needs some wins to solidify its tournament berth and keep the best in the nation active tournament streak alive.

Purdue: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - Braden Smith (6'0" So.)

2 - Fletcher Loyer (6'4" So.), Cam Heide (6'7" Fr.)

3 - Lance Jones (6'1" Sr.)

4 - Trey Kaufmann-Renn (6'9" So.), Mason Gillis (6'6" Sr.)

5 - Zach Edey (7'4" Sr.)

Injured:

Rankings & Ratings: No. 2 (AP), No. 2 (Coaches), No. 2 (NET), No. 2 (Kenpom), No. 2 (Barttorvik)

Purdue is easily one of the best teams in the country led by the reigning National Player of the Year (and current front-runner to win again), senior Zach Edey. The 7-foot-4 cheat code is one of the more dominant forms college basketball has ever seen. The big man averages over 23 points per game, over 11 rebounds per game, and just over one block per game.

This Purdue team is not just Edey, though, it is so much more. Sophomore point guard Braden Smith has taken a leap that has him considered as one of the best point guards in the country. With Smith in the backcourt, Fletcher Loyer and Lance Jones are two guys who knock down threes at around a 40% clip.

In the front court with Edey are both Mason Gillis and Trey Kaufmann-Renn. The two forwards combine to bring energy to the Boilermakers' front court, and Gillis in particular is one of the best glue guys in the country.

Purdue is undefeated at home this season and has only lost three games all year. This year's Matt Painter squad is primed to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament yet again after falling as a No. 1 seed in the first round a year ago and may even be the No. 1 overall seed this season.

This will surely be a daunting task for the Spartans. This is not a place that has been historically kind to Michigan State and Purdue right now is playing some of the best basketball in the country. The Spartans will have to make a lot of threes and will need monster performances out of the backcourt to withstand the Boilermakers and the inevitable Zach Edey performance.

MSU must attack Edey in drop coverage and keep Purdue off balance. In the end, I don't think he Spartans will be able to win this game on the road.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram.

For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.