No. 11 Michigan State (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) vs. Ohio State (16-8, 6-7) When: 1 p.m. today. Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing. TV: CBS. Radio: WJR-AM (760). (Spartans radio affiliates) • Box score Game notes: The Spartans earned a huge road win Tuesday in Wisconsin. MSU knocked off OSU on Jan. 5, 86-77, with a huge second half, behind 25 points from Cassius Winston and 21 points from Nick Ward. Sophomore forward Kaleb Wesson averages 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds for the Buckeyes. A win puts MSU back in a tie atop the Big Ten conference standings with Michigan. READ MORE ON MSU: Nick Ward taking game against Ohio State personally Michigan State begins stretch run with Big Ten title in reach Twitter updates Live updates for mobile users.<doc-sep>EAST LANSING — The last time Michigan State faced Ohio State, both teams were riding hot streaks and were ranked among the top 14 in the nation. The Buckeyes hit a slide, losing 86-77 to the Spartans and dropping five of their next six. They fell out of the national rankings. The Spartans kept winning, climbing as high as sixth in the AP poll, until a three-game skid that has since ended with two wins in a row. No. 11 MSU hosts Ohio State Sunday at Breslin Center. It is another game toward chasing a Big Ten title for the second-place Spartans (20-5, 11-3), and an opportunity for the Buckeyes (16-8, 6-7) to get a signature win toward their NCAA tournament resume. “We’re back to what made us successful in the past,” MSU guard Cassius Winston said Thursday. “We’re getting stops, we were rebounding the ball really well and getting out in transition. Nick (Ward) is doing a good job of dominating inside, and everybody else has been playing their role.” Here are three things to watch when the two teams tip off at 1 p.m. (CBS). Rotation redux? MSU used essentially seven players in its 67-59 win at Wisconsin on Tuesday, with Winston ceding just 55 seconds to Foster Loyer at point guard as the eighth. However, coach Tom Izzo said that he is not opposed to expanding his rotation in the coming weeks before postseason play begins. “We just played seven in that one game. Two games before that, we played nine,” Izzo said Thursday after practice. “It’s gonna change with personnel, what we’re going against, what we think. We still feel comfortable that we can.” The Spartans, who are without Joshua Langford for the rest of the season, are getting more production from other sources beyond Winston and Nick Ward. More:Michigan State basketball begins stretch run with Big Ten title in reach More:Michigan State's Nick Ward taking game against Ohio State personally More:Kenny Goins, Aaron Henry helping MSU replace Langford's lost scoring Forward Kenny Goins has developed into a bona fide outside shooting threat. Fellow senior Matt McQuaid continues to flash perimeter scoring with his defensive skills, while freshman Aaron Henry, sophomore Xavier Tillman and junior Kyle Ahrens all have given key buckets in critical moments. “More guys are stepping up and contributing,” said Winston, who finished with 25 points in the first meeting with Ohio State and 23 against Wisconsin. “It keeps that balance to the floor. When teams can’t zero in on people, they just gotta respect everyone on the floor. It’s hard to check a team like that.” That has left little time for Loyer and fellow freshmen Gabe Brown, Thomas Kithier and Marcus Bingham Jr. However, Izzo hopes to get at least a few of them some minutes to help rest his key rotation guys at times. “Foster had a minute or two good there — he’s had a bunch of good minutes the game before. Gabe didn’t get in (at Wisconsin) — we still think we gotta get Gabe more minutes,” Izzo said. “But as you saw (Thursday, Ahrens) didn’t practice. But we gotta figure out how we’re gonna probably play eight, maybe nine once in a while even if it’s only for a few minutes.” Ward vs. Wesson One of the key matchups in the first game in Columbus was Ward against Ohio State big man Kaleb Wesson. The 6-foot-9 Ward finished with one of his most complete games, scoring 21 points on 5 of 7 shooting with eight rebounds and three blocks. He went 11 of 14 at the free-throw line while drawing 11 of the Buckeyes’ 26 fouls, with both Kaleb and Andre Wesson as well as guard Luther Muhammad fouling out. “Nick was good. And everything he did down there — he was our most solid player, he was up on ball screens, he did his job rebounding, he did his job defending,” Izzo said. “I thought it was one of Nick’s better games, and hopefully that means he’s focused in on what he’s gotta do.” Kaleb Wesson is averaging 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. The 6-9, 270-pound sophomore forward scored 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting and had eight rebounds against MSU, and Izzo said he and his staff have “looked at some things we did wrong there.” Ethan Happ scored 20 points on 10 of 20 shooting against Ward and MSU on Tuesday, but the Wisconsin big man also missed all six of his free throws. Wesson, however, presents a different challenge for Ward. “Happ is very fundamental. Wesson, he’s heavier — he’s gonna take a load out of you just by his weight alone,” Ward said. “Happ is more up-and-under, fakes, spin moves, stuff like that.” OSU update The Buckeyes lost five straight games in January and seven of their last 11 following a torrid start to the season. They had a three-game win streak snapped Thursday with a 63-56 home loss to Illinois. Along with the younger Wesson, senior guard C.J. Jackson is averaging 11.8 points and 4.0 rebounds a game. Andre Wesson is averaging 10.7 points and 4.1 boards, and the 6-6, 220-pound junior has scored in double digits in five of his last seven games. Muhammad is now averaging 10.0 points, and the 6-3 freshman guard had a pair of 20-plus-point games since facing MSU. Prediction MSU 80, Ohio State 68: The Spartans get another inspired performance from Ward in what possibly could end up being his final game against the Buckeyes if MSU doesn’t run into them in the Big Ten tournament and if he turns pro after the season. Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.<doc-sep>COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State will travel to East Lansing to take on No. 11 Michigan State for the second time this season. Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff. What: Ohio State (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten) vs No. 11 Michigan State (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten). Where: Breslin Student Events Center When: Sunday, 1 p.m. TV: CBS. Projected Starters Ohio State: C.J. Jackson (13.0 ppg), Luther Muhammad (9.8 ppg), Andre Wesson (9.0 ppg), Musa Jallow (2.8 ppg), Kaleb Wesson (14.5 ppg). Michigan State: Cassius Winston (18.8 ppg), Aaron Henry (5.0 ppg), Matt McQuaid (8.5 ppg), Kenny Goins (7.2 ppg), Nick Ward (15.4 ppg). What to watch For Ohio State is now fighting for its tournament lives for the rest of the season, but the rest of its schedule won’t make things easier. Five games left on the Buckeyes’ schedule are against ranked opponents and three are on the road. Prediction Stephen’s pick: The Buckeyes have seven games left in their season and in the majority of them they aren’t considered the better team. Ohio state dropped its first Big Ten game of the year to the Spartans at home and Michigan State is favored to sweep the two-game season series. 75-67 Spartans.<doc-sep>
EAST LANSING — Nick Ward came out of halftime with a wrist wrap on his left hand. Cassius Winston couldn’t hit his shot and picked up his third foul. Xavier Tillman sat on the bench in foul trouble, joining Aaron Henry who did not start the second half and played sparingly. No. 11 Michigan State basketball needed a spark against Ohio State with its two stars struggling and its regular rotation out of whack. It found it from unexpected sources. Starting on defense. The patchwork group of role players and reserves – Matt McQuaid, Kenny Goins, Kyle Ahrens, Thomas Kithier and Foster Loyer – helped the Spartans run off a 13-3 burst to pull away to a 62-44 victory on Sunday afternoon at Breslin Center. McQuaid scored 14 points, Goins had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Ahrens had six points. That trio combined for eight 3-pointers with the stars having an off day. Winston finished with 13 points but made just 3 of 15 shots. He had eight assists. MSU (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) moved back into a first-place tie with Michigan and hosts Rutgers at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Big Ten Network). The Spartans then visit Ann Arbor on Sunday (3:45 p.m., CBS). OSU (16-9, 6-8) made just 4 of 21 shots in the second half as the Spartans outscored the Buckeyes, 37-13, in the period. Kaleb Wesson was the only OSU player in double figures with 12 points. Mystery injury Ward scored nine points and had four rebounds at halftime, finishing with six boards. However, he returned from the locker room with a green wrap on his left wrist and did not start the second half. It was unclear how the 6-foot-9 junior forward hurt his hand, but he checked into the game 59 seconds into the half. But the hand and/or wrist clearly bothered him, and he went to the bench. He played 19 minutes, 26 seconds overall and sat out the final 13:25 and was holding his hand in discomfort. MSU coach Tom Izzo said after the game Ward "might have dislocated a finger or something here" on his shooting hand, but that more information won't be known until after he undergoes medical treatment. Henry played just 9:48 and finished scoreless. Back and forth The Spartans trailed by as many as nine in the first half but never let things get out of reach with counter-punch runs of their own. That included a 7-0 run after the Buckeyes went ahead, 14-5, then another 8-0 run with 3-pointers from Ahrens and McQuaid. But Ohio State took advantage of MSU’s sloppy finish to the half, which included three of the Spartans’ four turnovers in the final 6:43 of the period. The Buckeyes went on a 7-0 run to close the half and take a 31-25 lead to the locker room. After the break, the Spartans went into lockdown mode defensively. They forced the Buckeyes to miss their first seven shots and scored the first seven points of the second half – five of them on a Goins 3-pointer and dunk to open the period. The Spartans, however, could not pull away until Winston went to the bench with his third foul, a charging call with 10:03 to play. Loyer replaced him, and Goins and Ahrens hit 3-pointers to begin the big run, with another Goins jumper and a McQuaid 3-pointer. Kither finished a 10-0 burst with a layup. Ohio State did not make a field goal for the final 7:37 of the game. Winston hit six free throws in the final 3:47 to help seal the win. Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.