Coming off a down year for Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans, the 2021-22 version of this team looks much improved. They have a nine-man rotation of players who all have the capability of lighting up the scoreboard, which is why they’ve ascended from unranked to No. 10 team in the country.
Fortunately for the Michigan Wolverines, the Spartans have lost two of their last three, including Tuesday’s loss to an Illinois squad that was without Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo. They also lost against a not-so-great Northwestern team.
Little of that actually matters in what will be a renewal of one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball.