Michigan State Basketball: Position-by-position breakdown vs. Michigan
By Nate Rhoades
![EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/28ff4d974aed8b1c9f95260d9db4b549edb707df346463bf142bd9a434c1cf83.jpg)
The Michigan vs. Michigan State basketball rivalry is just heating up and here’s a look at the positional breakdown for the latest installment.
Michigan State travels to the Michigan on Sunday for their first showdown of the season. This game has huge implications as the winner of this game would be in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten title race.
The Spartans are ranked No. 10 in the country and Michigan is ranked just above them at No. 7. On paper, Michigan State is beating Michigan in almost every category.
Here is what the team stats look like:
MSU: 80.2 ppg, 48.6% FG, 73.6% FT, 38.4% 3PT, 65.6 points allowed
Michigan: 70.3 ppg, 45% FG, 68.8% FT, 34.9% 3PT, 57.7 points allowed
MSU: 19.5 assists, 41.9 rebounds, 5.6 steals, 5.7 blocks
Michigan: 13.5 assists, 35.3 rebounds, 6.4 steals, 4.4 blocks
These stats were pulled from ESPN and though the Spartans are winning in all but two of these categories does not mean they will pull off the upset on Sunday. We will look at each starting position for a clearer look.