Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions for huge Big Ten battle vs. Ohio State

Revenge is on the mind of Michigan State basketball heading into a crucial Big Ten battle with Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus.

Michigan State has been on fire of late, beating Rutgers, Iowa and Northwestern each by double figures but the Spartans will hope for a miracle if that’s to continue against No. 14 Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are also red-hot, putting together a 12-1 overall record and they, too, are unbeaten in conference play. This has all the makings of fierce battle which will have first place in the Big Ten on the line — though there is a long way to go.

Michigan State is hoping for revenge as the Buckeyes knocked the No. 1 Spartans off last January and handed them their first Big Ten loss. Tom Izzo is hoping to avoid the same fate this time around in a ranked battle.

What can we expect from a major Big Ten battle in Columbus on Saturday?

5. Spartans turn the ball over less than 10 times

Michigan State was well on its way to finish with less than 10 turnovers against Northwestern but the second half got sloppy as the Spartans scored just 29 points and had a string of about five possessions where they coughed the ball up.

The Spartans average about 12 turnovers per game which is an improvement from last year as the team was consistently hitting 15 turnovers and finished by averaging just 13 per game. It’s a slight improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.

Against Ohio State last season, the Spartans had just 12 turnovers and they’ll improve on that, finishing with less than 10 to go along with 27 assists. It’ll be another great ball movement game and that’s something Tom Izzo has wanted to see more of.

Michigan State is one of the best passing teams in college basketball, but it’ll need to make better decisions. That’ll happen Saturday afternoon with only eight turnovers.