Michigan State is coming off of a physical 63-54 win against Maryland on Saturday to kickstart the Spartans into the back half of the Big Ten season.

After the game, coach Tom Izzo talked about how he thinks that playing in a physical battle was good for his team moving forward. He echoed that sentiment on Monday, saying that he hopes Saturday’s win “propels” MSU in the remaining nine regular season games.

“Saturday I thought was the first win we had where the grit had to be there,” Izzo said at his Monday press conference. “We felt like we had some performances against Baylor, where our backs were against the wall and we came out and played at a different level. But Saturday, it was physical play, and that made a big, big difference. I hope we can take that and move forward with it. We challenged our veterans, and they’ve gotta play at a different level down the stretch and, so far, I think we’re getting some of that. Let’s see if we can carry it on the road.”

One of the other themes in Michigan State’s win over Maryland was the grit that the Spartans showed throughout the game. Whether it be fighting for loose balls or out rebounding the Terrapins, Michigan State fought hard and showed toughness.

“I think everyone’s just kind of playing with more confidence and more togetherness,” Carson Cooper said on Monday. “And I think that as we see our starters and our vets play with more energy, it just helps the rest of the team play with that same energy.”

That confidence, togetherness, and grit is something that the Spartans will look to continue when they travel to play at Minnesota on Tuesday night. Start time is set for 9 p.m. Eastern Time with the game streaming exclusively on Peacock. The game marks the second to last of the season set exclusively to NBC's streaming platform.

Michigan State won the first meeting against Minnesota last month. Behind Tyson Walker’s 21 points and Malik Hall’s double-double, the Spartans won that game 76-66.

Izzo noted that he thought the Gophers “played well” when they made the trip to East Lansing. Minnesota will welcome the Spartans to Williams Arena for a rematch coming off wins in its last two games, victories at Penn State and against Northwestern.

Junior guard Elijah Hawkins missed the first meeting against Michigan State with an ankle injury, but will be back on the court for the Gophers Tuesday night. Izzo said that he “makes them go”. Hawkins averages 8.8 points and 7.8 assists per game this season.

Izzo said that Minnesota freshman guard Cam Christie is playing “better and better” since he fouled out against the Spartans. 6-foot-11, 230-pound junior forward Dawson Garcia was a matchup problem for the Spartans last month. He put up 22 points and grabbed nine boards in the first meeting between the two teams. Guard Mike Mitchell Jr. played all 40 minutes in the first game. Izzo said that Mitchell Jr. “hurt” the Spartans with his 14 points, four rebounds, and five assists.

“[Minnesota has a] formidable starting five that can play with anyone in the league,” Izzo praised of the Gophers' starting line-up.

The Gophers are led by coach Ben Johnson, who is in his third season. Izzo talked about how Johnson is “one of the better” young coaches in the Big Ten. He’s led the Gophers to a 14-7 (5-5 conference) record so far this season.

“There’s a lot of good coaches that have done good jobs this year,” Izzo said. “I’m not sure anybody’s done a better job than he has, unless it’s Chris Collins. Not that the other guys haven’t, but I think Ben Johnson has done an unbelievable job, kind of reminds me of the same kind of way my career went. I have a great respect for him and what he’s doing. But now he’s assembled a team where he’s kept some guys together, he’s kind of putting a fence around his state, he’s doing it the right way.”

Should the Spartans win on Tuesday night, MSU will sweep Minnesota in the season series and win its sixth game in the last seven trips to Williams Arena.

“For us, it’s an incredible opportunity to go up there, to go on the road and see if we can sweep a team this year, like we did Maryland,” Izzo added.

Winning on the road in the Big Ten is not a given, especially this season. Only one team in the conference has a winning road record: Purdue. The Big Ten has had at least two teams with a winning road record in every completed season since the 2002-03 season, except the 2019-20 season.

To put it into more digestible words for further emphasis, there has only been one season in the past two decades where less than two Big Ten teams have had a winning away record, not including this season.

Izzo has noticed that and offered his thoughts on why that might be the case.

“To win on the road, you have to be physically tougher and mentally tougher,” Izzo said. “And I think, in general, in our society, people are physically not as tough and mentally definitely not as tough. And that’s the difference.

“...Mental toughness right now is something that is very important. Mental toughness means that you go into a place like Minnesota, or anyplace on the road and mentally you believe that you’re gonna win.”

Michigan State is one of the 13 other teams in the league that has struggled on the road this season. The Spartans sit at 1-4, but they have an opportunity on Tuesday to improve on that road record. In order for that to happen, putting together a full 40 minutes of basketball is important.

“For us, one of the big things is being able to put together a full 40 minutes,” Cooper said. “On the road, that’s a lot tougher than at home. I think what helps is when we have a good start and once we get to that first and second media timeouts, the whole team is excited and we’re having fun out there, I think that’s a big part in the road success, too, that we have.”

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