Michigan State at Indiana 4:30 ET
Spartans (-) over Hoosiers- Michigan State was ranked No. 4 in the country in the preseason, but inconsistency and underperforming veteran players have left the Spartans simply hoping to keep alive their streak of making the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans (18-12, 10-9 Big Ten) enter after posting a 53-49 win over Northwestern on Wednesday that snapped a three-game losing streak, but their strong strength of schedule and NET ranking (No. 23 going into Friday) have them still in listed in most NCAA Tournament field projections. A road win at Indiana would go a long way to solidifying an NCAA bid, with the subsequent hope being that they can use the postseason to fulfill preseason projections. Indiana (17-13, 9-10) has struggled all season, but enters on a three-game winning streak and playing its best basketball. The Hoosiers have beaten Wisconsin at home and won on the road at Maryland and Minnesota during the stretch. The success has coincided with the return of senior point guard Xavier Johnson, who missed six games with an elbow injury. Not enough here. Take MICHIGAN STATE!