Michigan State basketball hosts in-state rival Michigan on Saturday in their first of two meetings this year, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.
The Spartans enter this rivalry matchup playing some of their best ball recently with a season-high five straight wins. Michigan State handled Nebraska earlier this week to improve to 10-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play this year.
Michigan has had a relatively disappointing start to the 2022-23 season with the Wolverines struggling to find consistent momentum from game-to-game. The Wolverines hit rock bottom last week when they were upset at home by Central Michigan, but have since responded with impressive wins over Maryland and Penn State. Michigan is 8-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play this season.
Broadcast and Streaming Info
Here’s when you should tune in to see this game between Michigan State and Michigan:
- Date: Jan. 7, 2023
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FOX
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
Three Things to Watch
Here are three things to watch out for in this matchup between Michigan State and Michigan:
Defending Hunter Dickinson: Whether you like him or not (and if you’re a Spartan you don’t), you have to admit Dickinson is arguably the best big-man in the Big Ten. So finding a way to slow him down on Saturday will be the number one task for Tom Izzo and his staff. Can Mady Sissoko stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor for most of the game? If he gets into foul trouble, does Michigan State try double-teaming him in the post or someone like Malik Hall on him instead? This will be something to monitor closely on Saturday.
Can A.J. Hoggard continue strong play in a big spot?: A.J. Hoggard has quietly been on a great stretch over the last three games for Michigan State. He is lighting up the scoreboard but is perfectly running the Spartans offense with 27 assists compared to only four turnovers in that stretch. He’ll need to continue this smart offensively play in Saturday’s heated rivalry matchup.
Complete game effort needed from Spartans: Michigan State has struggled to piece together two strong halves in a game this year, with Tuesday’s win over Nebraska being a perfect example. If the Spartans can put together two impressive and consistent halves on Saturday against the Wolverines, then I like their chances of winning this rivalry tilt.
Game Prediction
Prediction: MSU 77, Michigan 70
There is a lot on the line for both of these teams so I envision this game being regardless of who comes out on top. A week ago I liked the Spartans chances a lot more but the Wolverines appear to have figured some things out following the loss to Central Michigan. This is going to be a war and in the end I think the Spartans get enough stops on Dickinson in the post to pull out the win.
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