No. 15 Michigan State goes up against E. Michigan
Eastern Michigan (9-1) vs. No. 15 Michigan State (8-3)
Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, Michigan; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 15 Michigan State hosts Eastern Michigan in a non-conference matchup. Both teams earned victories in their last game. Michigan State earned a 77-72 road win against Northwestern on Wednesday, while Eastern Michigan won 60-55 at home against Northeastern on Tuesday.
SAVVY SENIORS: Eastern Michigan's Ty Groce, Boubacar Toure and Chris Barnes have combined to account for 42 percent of the team's scoring this season, including 44 percent of all Eagles points over the last five games.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Cassius Winston has either made or assisted on 46 percent of all Michigan State field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has 19 field goals and 17 assists in those games.
UNDEFEATED WHEN: Michigan State is a perfect 5-0 when the team makes at least 77.8 percent of its free throws. The Spartans are 3-3 when they shoot below 77.8 percent from the line.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Spartans have recently gotten baskets via assists more often than the Eagles. Michigan State has 55 assists on 78 field goals (70.5 percent) over its past three outings while Eastern Michigan has assists on 29 of 67 field goals (43.3 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The disruptive Eastern Michigan defense has forced opponents to turn the ball over on 29.2 percent of all possessions, the second-best rate in the country. Michigan State has a forced-turnover percentage of only 17.5 percent through 11 games (ranking the Spartans 308th among Division I teams).
