Michigan St. @ Nebraska preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 5, 2019 ) Nebraska 76, Michigan St 91

No. 25 Michigan State looks to bounce back from a gut-wrenching loss when it travels to face Nebraska for a Big Ten contest Thursday. The Spartans are coming off a 67-60 home defeat against No. 7 Maryland on Saturday in which they led by seven with 3:24 to play but didn't score again while the Cornhuskers have dropped 10 in a row, including an 81-64 loss to visiting Wisconsin on Saturday.

Coach Tom Izzo leans heavily on his senior Cassius Winston and the 6-1 point guard has come through for the most part, leading the Spartans in scoring (18.2 points) and assists (5.7). Junior forward Xavier Tillman, who became a father for the second time on Monday, is second on the team with 13.7 points per game to go with a team-high 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 blocks per contest. Nebraska is paced by a pair of guards in senior Haanif Cheatham (12.4 points) and sophomore Cam Mack (12.4, 6.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds). Junior guard Dachon Burke Jr. adds 11.4 points per game, but the Cornhuskers are quite small with only three forwards among their active players and none taller than 6-9.

TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten): The Spartans have been trying to get their younger players involved throughout the season, trying to prepare them for the upcoming postseason. But as we hit the home stretch and Michigan State is struggling a bit, Izzo has indicated he will lean more on senior forward Kyle Ahrens. Ahrens is a 6-6 swingman who averages 3.3 points in 12.8 minutes per game this season, and he brings an aggressiveness on both ends of the floor that can be infectious, though that can often cause him to suffer injuries.

ABOUT NEBRASKA (7-18, 2-12): The Cornhuskers took a blow to their depth when senior guard Matej Kavas announced on Twitter Sunday that a hand injury he suffered in Saturday's loss to Wisconsin will force him to miss the rest of the season, ending his college career. Kavas, from Slovenia, was averaging 5.3 points in 14.5 minutes per game this season while hitting 23 3-pointers. He was coming off an 11-point performance in a loss to Maryland, but played just one minute against the Badgers before suffering the injury.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Michigan State entered Wednesday ranked tied for fourth in the country in assists per game (17.6).

2. Cornhuskers F Yvan Ouedraogo needs one rebound to become the fifth player in program history to grab at least 150 boards in his freshman season.

3. Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg will see a familiar face on the Michigan State bench as his son, Jack, plays for the Spartans.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 82, Nebraska 67