Wolverines to Host No. 16 Michigan State for Maize Out at Crisler

» Michigan will host No. 16 Michigan State in the second meeting of the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 8) at noon.
» The game will be a "Maize Out" at Crisler Center with all fans encouraged to wear maize-colored clothing.
» U-M looks to snap a three-game losing streak at Crisler as well as a four-game slide against MSU.
» Over his last three games, Brandon Johns, Jr. has shot 63.6 percent from long range (7-for-11). As a starter (nine games), he has made 12 of his 14 total three-pointers this season.
» Austin Davis scored a career-high 11 points against Ohio State on Tuesday (Feb. 4) against Ohio State. Over his last three games, Davis has gone a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, primarily on dunks.

PROMOTIONS
• Feb. 8: MAIZE OUT -- All fans are encouraged to wear their maize as we take on MSU. #GoBlue #WearMaize
• Full Promotions Schedule

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The University of Michigan men's basketball team will return to Crisler Center for a "Maize Out" game against No. 16-ranked Michigan State on Saturday (Feb. 8). The game is scheduled for a noon tipoff with Gus Johnson (p-by-p), Jim Jackson (analyst) and Lisa Byington (sideline) as the broadcast crew.

What You Need to Know for Saturday's Game

• Saturday's game is the second meeting of the season between Michigan and Michigan State. The Spartans won, 87-69, at the Breslin Center on Jan. 5.
• Saturday's game will feature a "Maize Out" at Crisler Center, where fans are encouraged to wear maize-colored clothing.
• After a three-game win streak, the Wolverines have lost four straight against the Spartans. U-M is 1-3 in the last four home games against MSU.
• With the overall strength of the Big Ten and U-M's challenging non-conference slate, the Wolverines' regular-season schedule continues to be listed as one of the best in the nation, ranked No. 2 (Sagarin), No. 3 (ESPN's BPI) and no. 4 (KenPom).
• Michigan has lost three straight games at Crisler Center by a total of 14 points (4.6 per game). After a 72-63 setback against Penn State on Jan. 22, U-M lost to Illinois, 64-62, on a last-second shot (Jan. 25) before Ohio State used late free throws to hold on for a 61-58 victory on Tuesday (Feb. 4).
• The last time U-M lost three straight at home was during the 2014-15 non-conference season -- New Jersey Institute of Technology (72-70; Dec. 6), Eastern Michigan (45-42; Dec. 9) and Southern Methodist (62-51; Dec. 20), which mirrors the total and average points of U-M's three current losses of 14 points/4.6 per game.
• Zavier Simpson leads the nation in assists (172) and is second with an 8.2 per-game average. With five assists against Ohio State (Feb. 4), he became just the second Wolverine to surpass 600 assists in a career. Simpson (603) trails only Gary Grant (731) on Michigan's all-time list.
• Isaiah Livers has missed nine total games due to injury. The Wolverines are 4-5 during his absence with eight of the nine games coming in Big Ten play.
• Austin Davis scored his first career double-figure scoring game with a career-high 11 points against Ohio State (Feb. 4). Over his last three games, Davis has gone a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, primarily on dunks. He leads U-M with a .705 field-goal percentage. His 31 field goals this season are 10 more than his two previous active seasons combined (21).
• Over his last three games, Brandon Johns Jr. has shot 63.6 percent from long range (7-for-11). As a starter (nine games), he has made 12 of his 14 total three-pointers this season.
• After posting one double-figure scoring game in his first 12 games of the season, Johns has four in his last nine games -- and three over the last five including a career-best 20 vs. Rutgers (Feb. 1) in the B1G Super Saturday game in MSG.
• Franz Wagner was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after helping the Wolverines snap a four-game losing streak last week with a pair of wins at Nebraska and versus Rutgers in New York City. Wagner has scored in double figures in eight of his last 10 and improved his scoring average to 10.4 points per game -- U-M's fifth double-digit scorer.
• Wagner grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds against Ohio State (Feb. 4) to post his first career 10-plus board game. The tally is the second most by a Wolverine this season.
• Jon Teske leads U-M in scoring (13.1), rebounding (7.5), blocks (42; 1.9 per game) and steals (24, 1.2 per game). Teske has had at least one block in 21 of his 22 games this season.
• Zavier Simpson is 47 points shy of recording his 1,000 career point.

U-M Coach Juwan Howard vs. Michigan State

• Michigan head coach Juwan Howard was 5-1 with two overtime wins, and averaged 15.8 points and 8.1 rebounds against MSU during his playing days as a Wolverine.
• Howard posted two double-doubles with a 16 point, 13 rebound performance as a sophomore on Feb. 2, 1993, at the Breslin Center and recorded a second double dip as a junior with 18 points and 13 rebounds on Feb. 5, 1994, again at MSU.
• Here are the year-by-year results:

Freshman (1992-92): Jan. 29, 1992, at MSU (W, 89-79 OT); Feb. 15, 1992, at U-M (L, 59-70)
Sophomore (1992-93): feb 2, 1993, at MSU (W, 73-69); March 7, 1993, at U-M (W, 87-81 OT)
Junior (1993-94): Jan. 5, 1994, at U-M (W, 75-64); Feb. 2, 1994, at MSU (W, 59-51)

Who are the Michigan State Spartans?

• No. 16 Michigan State brings a 16-7 overall record to Crisler Center, including an 8-4 Big Ten mark. The Spartans have lost their last two games after a 64-63 setback at Wisconsin (Feb. 1) followed with MSU's first home loss in 22 games after a 75-70 loss to No. 22 Penn State (Feb. 4).
• Saturday's game will be the second time U-M and MSU meet this season. The Spartans defeated U-M, 87-69, at the Breslin Center (Jan. 5).
• MSU is led by senior guard Cassius Winston who averages 18.5 points per contest. Winston also averages 5.9 assists per game, fourth best in the Big Ten and 29th nationally. He has a team-best 50 three-pointers and 27 steals. Junior forward Xavier Tillman is the second Spartan scoring in double figures at 13.3 points per game. Tillman adds a team-best 10.1 rebounds per game.
• Winston and Tillman account for 40 percent of MSU's shots and offensive production.
• Michigan State ranks third in the country in assists (18.5) and fifth in the nation in rebounding (41.5). MSU has outrebounded its opponents by 9.0 boards per game.
• Tom Izzo is in his 25th season as head coach at Michigan State, having guided the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament in 22 consecutive seasons dating back to 1998 and winning the national championship in 2000. He has eight Final Four appearances, nine Big Ten titles and six Big Ten Tournament titles.

Earlier This Season against the Spartans

• Michigan restarted Big Ten play falling to Michigan State, 87-69, at the Breslin Center on Jan. 5.
• The loss gave U-M its fourth straight setback to the Spartans.
• Four Wolverines notched double-digit scoring efforts in Jon Teske (15 points), Zavier Simpson (14), Brandon Johns Jr. (12) and Franz Wagner (10). In addition to his 12 points, Simpson dished out eight assists while Wagner added a team-best seven rebounds.
• For MSU, Cassius Winston scored a career-best 32 points with nine assists, while Xavier Tillman posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

The All-Time Series with Michigan State

• Saturday's game will be the 192nd all-time meeting between Michigan and Michigan State.
• U-M leads the all-time series, 106-85, against MSU. Michigan holds a 67-31 record in Ann Arbor; the Wolverines have won five of the last eight at Crisler Center, but have dropped three of the last four. U-M is 38-52 in East Lansing, winning three times over the last nine games. U-M has a 1-2 record in neutral-site games with all three games coming at the Big Ten Tournament.
• Michigan had 10 games (7-3) against Michigan State vacated by the Wolverines due to NCAA sanctions -- giving U-M a recognized 99-82 all-time record against the Spartans.
• There have been 37 games in the series decided by three points or fewer. U-M leads, 21-16, in those games with the last game a 58-57 U-M victory on March 3, 2013, at Crisler Center.
• There have been eight overtime games in the all-time series, with U-M leading, 6-2, in those contests. The last OT game was a 76-66 MSU win at the Breslin Center on Feb. 1, 2015.
• Longest U-M win streak: 12 games (Feb. 5, 1921 to Dec. 10, 1927).
• Longest U-M losing streak: eight games (Feb. 17, 1998 to Jan. 30, 2002)
• Largest U-M Victory: 49 points (61-12) at Michigan on Dec. 7, 1936
• Largest U-M Loss: 51 points (114-63) at Michigan State on March 4, 2000
• U-M Victories by 10+ Points: 55 | U-M Losses by 10+ Points: 44
• U-M's average margin in wins: 11.6 | U-M's average margin in losses: 10.8
• All-Time U-M Points: 11,148 (58.4) | All-Time Michigan State Points: 10,839 (56.7)