For the third time in the past six days, Michigan State basketball will take the court in a Big Ten battle. This time, though, it'll be Penn State coming to town to give the Spartans its best shot.
This will be the first meeting between these two teams of the season and the last time they met in East Lansing, the Spartans blew the doors off the Nittany Lions. Fans are hoping for the same result this time around, with or without Ace Baldwin Jr.
The Nittany Lions are riding a three-game losing streak after starting the season 12-2 with a 2-1 record in Big Ten play while the Spartans have won nine in a row and are 5-0 in the conference.
These two teams seem to be trending in opposite directions, but things can change quickly in Big Ten play. Let's get to our boldest predictions for the conference showdown.
1. Jeremy Fears Jr. dishes 10 assists again
Against Washington last Thursday, Jeremy Fears Jr. recorded his first career double-double and it felt like something clicked with him. He looked like he was hunting for his own shot more and he had one of his best passing games as a Spartan and didn't turn the ball over much.
Against Northwestern, he had eight assists and 12 points, narrowly missing out on a second straight double-double. I think he flirts with that accomplishment for a third straight game on Wednesday.
Fears is going to run the fast break at a high level while also playing elite defense, leading to some easy buckets and assists, and he'll hit some big shots throughout the game to add to his point total.
Will he secure another double-double? Possibly, but he will for sure hit 10 assists again.