With six Big Ten games remaining, Michigan State basketball finds itself just one game out of first place and was nearly gifted a tie at the top by Ohio State but the Buckeyes couldn't pull off the upset of Michigan on Sunday afternoon in Columbus.
The Spartans are 11-3 in the conference while Michigan is 12-2 and Purdue is right there are 11-4 with Wisconsin nipping at the Boilermakers' heels at 10-4 after beating them in West Lafayette.
These next two games for Michigan State, however, are the most critical all season.
Michigan State hosts Purdue on Tuesday night, looking to almost officially eliminate the Boilermakers from the Big Ten title race and then the Spartans head to Ann Arbor on Friday to take on the Michigan Wolverines. That game in Ann Arbor is for a first-place tie in the Big Ten.
First off, Michigan State needs to beat Purdue at home. This is a golden opportunity to not only move solely into second place in the Big Ten with a first-place game approaching on Friday, but to also add to its NCAA Tournament resume with another Quad 1 win. This would also give Michigan State all the momentum it needs heading into Friday's big game.
If Michigan State can win on Tuesday night, it heads into the Michigan game with positive momentum and a chance to knock off the hottest team in the Big Ten right now. Beating Michigan on the road would mean that the two teams are tied atop the Big Ten standings with four games left for the Spartans and another matchup with the Wolverines in East Lansing to end the season.
Winning one of these ensures that Michigan State will be in the race for at least another week, winning both puts the Spartans in a prime spot with four games left, and losing both essentially eliminates them from contention. It's time for Tom Izzo and Co. to make a statement.