Wolverines to Restart Big Ten Play Against Spartans at Breslin

» No. 12 Michigan restarts Big Ten play at No. 14 Michigan State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
» The intrastate battle is the 191st all-time meeting. U-M leads the all-time series, 106-84.
» Guard Zavier Simpson, who is expected to play in his 130th straight game, is second nationally with 8.9 assists per game. He also is averaging a career-best 11.2 points per game.
» Center Jon Teske leads U-M in scoring (14.4), rebounds (8.4) and blocks (2.0).

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The 12th-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) will restart Big Ten play heading to East Lansing, Michigan, to face No. 14 Michigan State on Sunday (Jan. 5) at the Breslin Center. The game is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. tipoff on CBS with Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (analyst) as the broadcast crew.

What You Need to Know for Sunday's Game

• Michigan (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) restarts conference play with three of its first four league games on the road. In fact, five of the first eight games are away from Ann Arbor, including a designated home game vs. Rutgers at Madison Square Garden as part of the Big Ten's Super Saturday.
• U-M head coach Juwan Howard announced on Dec. 28 that junior forward Isaiah Livers will be out indefinitely due to a left groin injury. Livers' injury occurred against Presbyterian College on Dec. 21 after he was fouled on a dunk attempt just 3:06 into the game. After making two free throws he was subbed out and did not return in the game.
• Averaging 8.9 assists per game, Simpson has five-plus assists in 12 of 13 games, with 10 or more in five, including a career-best 14 against Houston Baptist. He currently ranks second in the nation for assists -- trailing Samford's Josh Sharkey (9.2 apg).
• With 547 career assists, Simpson has moved to third on U-M's all-time list, passing Antonie Joubert (539). Simpson needs 28 more dimes to move into second (Rumeal Robinson, 575) and 53 to become the second Wolverine to surpass 600 (Gary Grant, 731).
• Jon Teske has four-plus rebounds in every game and leads U-M with 26 blocks and 14 steals.

The All-Time Series with Michigan State

• Sunday's game will be the 191st all-time meeting between Michigan and Michigan State. U-M leads, 106-84, in the all-time series, but the Wolverines have lost the last three.
• U-M holds a 38-51 record in East Lansing, but is 2-3 at the Breslin Center since 2014.
• Sunday's game will mark the 17th time both teams will face each other when they are both ranked among the nation's top 25, with the Spartans leading, 10-6 in those games.
• There have been 36 games decided by three points or fewer, with U-M leading, 20-16. The last time a game was decided by fewer than three points was a 58-57 U-M win at home, March 3, 2013.
• There have been eight overtime games, with U-M leading, 6-2. The most recent overtime game was in 2015, when the Spartans won by 10 points, 76-66.
• Largest U-M Victory: 49 points (61-12) at home on Dec. 7, 1936.
• Largest U-M Loss: 51 points (114-63) at Michigan State on Jan. 4, 2000.
• U-M Victories by 10+ Points: 55 | U-M Losses by 10+ Points: 43
• U-M's average margin in wins: 11.5 points | U-M's average margin in losses: 11.0 points

Who are the Michigan State Spartans?

• Michigan State will host intrastate rival Michigan with an 11-3 overall record and has started conference play a perfect 3-0. The Spartans are on a six-game win streak during which MSU has won by a margin of 24.3 points. Over their last three games, the Spartans have won by 53 (EMU, 101-48), 33 (WMU, 95-62) and 20 (Illinois, 76-56), respectively.
• MSU is led by Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Cassius Winston, who averages 17.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. He has a team-best 29 three-pointers, which almost doubles the next closest Spartan (Gabe Brown, 17).
• Junior forward Xavier Tillman is averaging a near double-double with his 13.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He also has 23 blocks. Sophomore forward Aaron Henry's 10.5 points per game gives MSU three double figures players.
• As usual with Tom Izzo's Spartans, they are fourth in the nation with 43.2 rebounds a game and lead the nation with 20.0 assists per game. Overall, they are scoring 81.4 points per game.
• Izzo is in his 25th season as head coach at Michigan State. He has led the Spartans to nine Big Ten regular-season titles, seven Final Fours and led the Spartans to the 2000 national title.

Things to Check Out

• Zavier Simpson has not missed a game in four seasons -- a streak of 129 straight. If he keeps up this pace, Simpson could tie U-M's all-time mark against Wisconsin (Feb. 27) as former teammate Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman holds the top spot with 144 consecutive games.
• Jon Teske has not missed a game in three seasons -- a streak of 91 straight -- and is expected to play in his 112th career game at Michigan State (Jan. 5).
• Adding his name to the list, Eli Brooks has played in 51 consecutive games.
• Simpson has five-plus assists in 12 of 13 games, with 10 or more in five, including a career-best of 14 against Houston Baptist (Nov. 22). In his career he has 56 five-plus assist games and 13 10-plus assist games.
• Simpson has led U-M in assists in 55 percent (71 of 129) of his career games.
• Jon Teske leads U-M with three double-doubles this season. He opened this year with 17 points and 13 boards against Appalachian State. He produced that double-double with 6:22 left in the first half. He added a second vs. No. 8 Gonzaga (19 points, 14 rebounds) and a third at No. 1 Louisville (18 points, 10 rebounds).
• Teske became the 45th Wolverine to reach the 500-rebound club at U-M, reaching the feat against Oregon (Dec. 14). He currently ranks 43rd on the list with 515 career boards.
• Teske leads U-M with 26 blocks, nearly three times as many as the next closest Wolverine -- Brandon Johns Jr. (nine).
• Eli Brooks has recorded the first seven double-figure scoring games of his career this season. In those seven games, he has shot 53.1 percent from the field (42-for-79), 51.3 percent from deep (20-for-39) and posted five games with three or more long-range buckets. In his six non-double figure games, he is shooting 28.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from deep.
• Brooks' 25 three-pointers are more than his previous single-season best (14, 2018-19) and more than his first two seasons combined (24).
• Brandon Johns Jr. scored 23 total points over his first seven games (3.2 ppg). In his last five games, he has 30 (6.0 ppg). Johns nearly mirrors that split margin with his rebounding. He grabbed 24 in his first seven games (3.4 per game). In the next five, he has 30 (6.0 rpg).
• In U-M's 10 wins, the Wolverines have shot 53.2 percent, averaged 10.1 three-pointers per game and outrebounded its foes by 5.5 per game. In the three losses, U-M has shot 37 percent, averaged five three-pointers and been outrebounded by 7.7.
• After cracking the top 10 for fewest personal fouls the past few years, Michigan is at it again with 13.8 per game -- which is eighth lowest in the nation.