Spartan men's basketball tipoff

• Where: Breslin Center in East Lansing

• When: 9 p.m. today

• TV/Radio: ESPN; Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM

• Records: MSU is 19-5 overall, 9-2 in the Big Ten; Purdue is 19-3, 7-3.

• Series: Purdue leads 62-44.

• Coaches: Tom Izzo is 355-142 in his 15th season, all with Michigan State. Matt Painter is 127-58 in his sixth season overall, and 102-53 in his fifth with Purdue.

Projected lineups

MICHIGAN STATE

Pos. Name PPG

F (2) Raymar Morgan (6-8) 10.8

F (10) Delvon Roe (6-8) 7.4

G (15) Durrell Summers (6-4) 10.8

G (3) Chris Allen (6-3) 9.1

G (1) Kalin Lucas 15.6

PURDUE

Pos. Name PPG

F (4) Robbie Hummel (6-8) 16.5

F (25) JaJuan Johnson (6-10) 14.4

G (3) Chris Kramer (6-3) 6.0

G (33) E'Twaun Moore (6-4) 17.2

G (12) Kelsey Barlow (6-5) 4.1

• MSU update: It sounds as though Lucas (right ankle sprain) won't be anywhere near 100 percent, but he may try to go anyway. And if he goes, Izzo may start him to keep the ankle loose right after warmups. Whether he plays or not, the Spartans' top priority is taking care of the ball against a defense that likes to swarm ballhandlers and jump into passing lanes. If MSU gets enough shots, it should be in good shape. Johnson is a good help-side shot blocker, but the Spartans should be able to get work done on the interior. The key will be getting the ball inside to Morgan, Roe and Draymond Green, for post-up shots and inside-out passes.

• Purdue update: Now that point guard Lewis Jackson (foot) is back, Painter finally has his whole team. He could really use another big man to complement Johnson - freshman Patrick Bade gives some help in 7.7 minutes a game - but this team may be good enough to make a Final Four run even without frontcourt depth. Few teams have a better trio than Johnson-Hummel-Moore. Defensively, Purdue gets 7.4 steals a game, but the Boilers are last in the Big Ten in 3-point defense (36.8 percent). Aggression has its costs. Purdue tops the Big Ten in turnover margin (plus-5.1 per game), while MSU is 10th at minus-1.6. MSU leads the league in rebounding margin (plus-9.7) while Purdue is tied for sixth (plus-0.9). Those two stats will tell much of tonight's story. MSU needs to battle to a draw on turnovers, and Purdue needs to stay close on the boards.

Matchups

Matchups

• Backcourts: If Lucas plays and is hobbling, Painter might sic Kramer on him. MSU needs its wings to do a good job on Moore, who loves to get into the lane and pop pull-up jumpers. The Spartans really need Allen and Summers to play well on the same night. Edge: MSU

• Frontcourts: Izzo will have to get some help from his freshman centers on Johnson, who is bigger and more polished than Roe. Morgan is the perfect option to check Hummel - except that MSU can't afford for Morgan to get into foul trouble. MSU will try different options here and use Morgan late in the game. The most important thing is not giving Hummel open looks from the 3-point line. On the other end, Hummel will have a hard time checking Morgan and Draymond Green. Edge: Purdue

• Benches: Purdue has plenty of solid guards available to keep the mainstays fresh, but this team usually has to go with an undersized power forward because of its lack of frontcourt bodies. Draymond Green will play a key role in this game, as usual. The question is, can he stay with Hummel if needed? Korie Lucious needs to bounce back from his six-turnover game at Illinois. Edge: MSU

• Prediction: It's hard to make one without knowing Lucas' status. But here's a bold prediction: The Spartans will scratch out a victory with or without Lucas. The home crowd will provide an assist, as usual for big games, and MSU will stabilize its position atop the Big Ten with defense and rebounding. Make it: MSU 65, Purdue 60

- Capsule preview compiled by Joe Rexrode