Wolverines to Host Maize Out Against Spartans Tuesday Night at Crisler Center

» Michigan hosts a "Maize Out" against intrastate rival Michigan State on Tuesday at Crisler Center.
» Originally scheduled for Jan. 8, the first match-up with the Spartans was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the U-M program.
» In the first meeting, the Maize and Blue fell, 83-67, to No. 10 Michigan State (Jan. 29) at Breslin Center.
» Caleb Houstan has had back-to-back games with a career-best 21 points -- draining seven three-pointers to retake the team lead with 49.

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)

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Note: Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the University of Michigan has instituted a proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative-test protocol for indoor athletic events. Face masks continue to be required and must be worn during all home indoor athletic events. [ U-M Vaccination Policy ]

The University of Michigan men's basketball team will host in-state rival Michigan State on Tuesday (March 1) in a rescheduled matchup at Crisler Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. with the game broadcast on the FS1, featuring Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Donny Marshall (analyst) on the call.

The Scene Setter

• Tuesday's game against Michigan State is a "Maize Out," and fans are encouraged to wear maize to show support. The Wolverines will be donning special 1989 throwback jerseys.

• The game is a makeup from a contest that was originally scheduled for Jan. 8 but was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the U-M program.

• U-M closes the regular season with three games over a six day span. The final week breaks down with home games against No. RV/25 MSU (March 1) and No. 24/25 Iowa (March 3) as well as a road contest at No. 23/23 Ohio State (March 6).

• Averaging 7.2 rebounds over his last five games including two games with 10 apiece, DeVante' Jones needs eight rebounds to reach 600 in his career.

• Caleb Houstan has had back-to-back games with a career-best 21 points -- draining seven three-pointers in his last two outings to retake the team lead with 49.

Moving Up to One of the Strongest Schedules

• Michigan continues to play one of the nation's strongest schedules, ranking among the top 10 in most sites: NCAA Net (9th); KenPom (6th); Sagarin (2nd), ESPN BPI (6th); and KPI (6th).

• The Wolverines have played 14 away games, going 6-8 in that span. Adding in a preseason scrimmage at DePaul and an exhibition at Wayne State, U-M has had 16 total road trips this season.

• In U-M's closing four games, all four are return games, three are versus Quad 1 opponents and three are ranked in the top 25 in the nation -- No. 15 Illinois (14), Michigan State (36), No. 25 Iowa (19) and at No. 22 Ohio State (17).

Rookie Finds His Rhythm at Home

• Hitting on all cylinders last week, Caleb Houstan set a new career-best with 21 points against Rutgers (Feb. 23) then tied it with a 21-point effort against Illinois (Feb. 27). The performances marked the first two 20-plus point games of his career.

• For the week he shot 60 percent (12-for-20) from the field and 58.3 percent (7-for-12) from long range while going a perfect 11-for-11 on free throws.

• In a career-best 21 point effort against Rutgers, Houstan shot 6-for-12 from the field and tied a career-best with five three-pointers. He also added three rebounds, an assist and a block in the victory. Closing the week, he posted a second straight 21-point game as he was 6-for-8 from the field with two more triples. The rookie also went 7-for-7 from the free throw line -- another career best -- and added two boards along with two steals.

The Michigan State Spartans

• Michigan State (19-9, 10-7 B1G) comes to Ann Arbor having dropped five of its last seven games; however, the Spartans knocked off No. 4 Purdue, 68-65, Saturday (Feb. 26) to snap a three-game losing streak.

• MSU averages 72.1 points, 37.6 rebounds and 16.1 assists per game. MSU is one of the top free throw shooting teams in the Big Ten (75.6 percent) and leads with 166 blocks (5.4 bpg), as Marcus Bingham, Jr. has a team-best 62.

• Gabe Brown uses a team-best 55 three-pointers to lead the Spartans with 11.4 points per game. He has 19 double-figure games, however, he has scored seven or fewer points in five of his last six games and was scoreless in two (Indiana, Feb. 12; at Iowa, Feb. 22). He adds 4.0 rebounds per game and is 91.4 percent (53-for-58) from the free throw line.

• Malik Hall is shooting 54.2 percent from the field, while averaging 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Highly touted Max Christie has averaged 9.6 points a game in his first season while adding in 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

• Tom Izzo, who is now in his 27th season coaching the Spartans, has a 24-14 record against Michigan. Under Izzo, Michigan State has captured two national championships and 16 conference championships, while also leading the series against every conference opponent.

• The Spartans have earned a place in the NCAA Tournament for 23 consecutive seasons, which is the fourth longest streak in the history of the tournament.

Earlier This Season at Michigan State

• After a back-and-forth first half, Michigan went cold to start the second half and could not rally, eventually falling to No. 10 Michigan State (Jan. 29), 83-67, at the Breslin Center.

• MSU shot 55.4 percent from the field and 50.0 percent (9-for-18) from long range, while U-M struggled, shooting 37.1 percent (23-for-62) from the field and 15.8 percent (3-for-19) from beyond the arc.

• Hunter Dickinson led U-M with his 25 points while adding six rebounds. Moussa Diabate nearly had a double-double after his 11 points and nine rebounds (five offensive), while Caleb Houstan posted his fourth straight double-digit scoring game with 11 points.

Up Next

Thursday, March 3 -- vs. No. 24 Iowa (Crisler Center), 9 p.m. (TV: FS1)