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No. 4 Michigan State gets a home test in the form of an in-state rivalry on Saturday afternoon, as the Spartans (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten) take on unranked Michigan (14-4, 3-2 Big Ten) inside the Breslin Center.
The game is scheduled to start at Noon ET and will be broadcast on Fox. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch on your phone, computer or on another streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, so you can watch today’s game at no cost:
FuboTV: Fox (live in 70-plus markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package, which is $19.99 per month for the first two months and $39.99 per month after that. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
DirecTV Now: Fox (live in 39 markets) is included in all four channel packages, ranging from $35 to $70 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, plus you can get $25 off your first month if you enter promo code “BDAY2017”. You can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
Sling TV: Fox (live in 17 markets) is included in the “Sling Blue” channel package for $25 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Preview
The Spartans suffered their first loss since the Phil Knight Invitational when they fell to Ohio State on the road last Sunday, and they didn’t exactly respond in convincing fashion, needing overtime to dispatch of Rutgers—Ken Pomeroy’s lowest-ranked Big Ten squad–at home.
“Maybe everybody got a little fat and sassy,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said.
On the other side of things, Michigan also enters off a loss but it was an encouraging one: A one-point defeat against No. 5 Purdue in a game in which the Wolverines played well enough to win. Throw in the seven-game win streak prior to that game, and John Beilein’s squad should be brimming with confidence.
It makes for an interesting dynamic–the home favorite stumbling, and the road underdog improving. The Spartans are still nevertheless 10.5 point favorites, but you can bet if this game was played a week or two ago, that number would be significantly higher.
For as much offensive talent will be on the court–Miles Bridges, Nick Ward, Charles Matthews, Moritz Wagner–this game could very well turn into a defensive battle. The Spartans, with all their length, are seventh in Ken Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency rankings, while the Wolverines are 20th. Michigan State holds opponents to 35.0 percent shooting inside the arc (best in the country) and a 40.7 effective field goal percentage (also best in the country), while Michigan is efficient on that end because they force a good amount of turnovers and keep teams off the offensive glass.
There are a handful of Top-25 matchups elsewhere in the country on Saturday, but this game should still serve as one of the best of the day.