Bragging rights are on the line Sunday as No. 12 Michigan battles No. 14 Michigan State in heads to East Lansing, Michigan, for a  big early-season Big Ten clash. It's the first outing of the year for the Wolverines, which last played a week ago, and second for the Spartans after making quick work of Illinois on Thursday.

Despite two drastically different starts to the season for both teams -- MSU opening 5-3, Michigan opening 7-0 -- Sparty's finally gaining some of the juice they seemingly lost earlier in the year. They're 11-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Michigan, meanwhile, is 3-3 in its last six and has already stumbled once in league play -- a 71-62 defeat to Illinois last month.

What's in store should be a good one. Wolverines first-year coach Juwan Howard has already endeared himself to the fanbase with UM's hot start and his popular, positive approach as the head man, but a win on the road against a rival? There's another level of endearment that could take Howard and his program-building to a new place.

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Storylines 

Michigan State: After starting the season as preseason No. 1, Michigan State stumbled to a 5-3 record with losses to Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Duke. Stumbling's a thing of last year for the Spartans, now. They haven't lost since an 87-75 defeat to Duke on Dec. 3 and enter this game on a six-game win streak peppered with wins over Rutgers, Northwestern and Illinois in between. Cassius Winston's reemergence as a reliable force has played a huge role in Michigan State's turnaround, and he's scored 63 points in his last three games (21 in each of the last three).

Michigan: There's no reason to panic for Michigan, even with three losses in its last six outings. One was to then-No. 1 Louisville, another a road loss to Illinois, and the last one a close OT loss to Oregon. Still, it has to seize opportunities when available, and this one's a big one. It should be a solid opportunity for senior 7-foot-1 big man Jon Teske to continue his hot streak against an MSU team that lacks the size to match up with him. Teske is coming off a 25 point outing and leads the team this season in points, rebounds, blocks and steals per game.

Game prediction, pick 

Latest odds via SportsLine: Michigan State -8

I'm taking Sparty and laying the points. Xavier Tillman and Cassius Winston are finally hitting their stride, and the team on the whole is finding a groove and playing close to the level we thought they would as the preseason No. 1. MSU will need to find a way to combat Teske's size in the post, but Michigan State at home has been solid over the Izzo years. I feel good riding the better team at home. Pick: MSU -8

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