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• When/where: 2 p.m. today at Breslin Center, East Lansing
• Records: MSU is 20-8, 11-6 in the Big Ten; Minnesota is 13-15, 6-11.
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Radio: WVFN 730-AM
• Coaches: Suzy Merchant is 64-33 in her third season at MSU and 265-153 overall in 15 seasons. Pam Borton is 165-87 in her eighth season at Minnesota and 234-133 overall in 12 seasons.
• Series: MSU leads 33-19, including a 66-57 victory on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis.
• Last game: MSU defeated Purdue, 79-64, on Thursday in West Lafayette, Ind. Minnesota lost at home to Michigan on Thursday, 65-54.
• MSU update: It's difficult to remember when the Spartans began conference play with five losses in their first seven games, including home setbacks against now-in-last Indiana and still-surprising Wisconsin. Since a three-game losing streak put MSU at 2-5 in Big Ten games, Merchant's team has won nine of its last 10 games and can clinch a second-place regular-season finish with a win today. It's the third straight year under Merchant in which the Spartans have ascended in the season's stretch run - she is now 22-10 in games after Feb. 1 since taking over at MSU. A 29-9 run and ability to break Minnesota's full-court press sparked the Spartans' come-from-behind win over the Gophers on Jan. 24, during which junior reserve Kalisha Keane scored 16 points. She led MSU at Purdue with a career-high 27 points and has slowly become the Spartans' go-to player when they need a critical basket. After a scoring change, Allyssa DeHaan was credited with six blocks against Purdue and has 496 for her career - tying her with St. Mary's (Calif.) junior Louella Tomlinson for the NCAA all-time lead.
• Minnesota update: A season gone awry has continued to spiral out of the Gophers' control, with Thursday's loss at home to U-M their 10th in their last 13 games. Minnesota - tied for last in the league with Indiana and Illinois - is headed to its second straight losing season if it doesn't win today and makes a quick exit in the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers haven't finished last in the Big Ten or had a losing season since 2000-01. "I think they deserved better than this," Borton told the (St. Paul) Pioneer Press of her five seniors - including Ashley Ellis-Milan, Katie Ohm and Brittany McCoy. "This year has been disappointing for them. It's not over yet, but you have to look at the body of work of what they were able to accomplish while they've been here." Much of this season's failures can be traced to poor shooting (35.7 percent) and defense (opponents shoot 41.3 percent) in conference games - both of which are second-worst in the league.
• Prediction: Senior day for Lauren Aitch, DeHaan, Aisha Jefferson and Mandy Piechowski sends the Spartans to the second seed in the league tourney to help soothe the sour start - thanks in large part to some more good defense and another balanced scoring attack.
• Make it: MSU 68, Minnesota 56
- Chris Solari
