FACTS & STATS: Site: McAlister Field House (6,000) -- Charleston, South Carolina. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Michigan St. 5-0, The Citadel 4-2. Away Record: Michigan St. 0-1, The Citadel 0-1. Neutral Record: Michigan St. 1-1, The Citadel 2-1. Conference Record: Michigan St. 0-0, The Citadel 1-1. Series Record: Michigan State leads, 2-0.

GAME NOTES: In what appears to be a non-conference mismatch, The Citadel Bulldogs will play host to the Michigan State Spartans this evening.

Michigan State is playing against its second consecutive Southern Conference opponent, having defeated Wofford on Friday night in a 72-60 final. The Spartans, members of the Big Ten Conference, opened the season with four consecutive victories, but they have split their last four decisions. The losses have come against Florida and North Carolina, and while both are solid opponents, Tom Izzo didn't expected two defeats this early in the season.

As for The Citadel, it is set to host its first ranked team in over a decade. The Bulldogs have won three of their last four games to move to 6-4 overall, and they evened their SoCon record with a 68-43 thrashing of Georgia Southern on Saturday. Four of the six victories have come at home thus far for the Bulldogs, who have also suffered a pair of home losses.

Michigan State won both previous meetings with The Citadel.

Kalin Lucas is the top offensive performer for a balanced Michigan State squad that features five double-digit scorers. Lucas is scoring 16.4 ppg to go along with 35 assists, and Durrell Summers provides 12.1 ppg. Raymar Morgan checks in with 11.3 ppg, Chris Allen adds 11.1 ppg, and Draymond Green brings 10.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg to the floor. The Spartans are generating 83.9 ppg on 49.7 percent shooting from the field, and they are holding opponents to 68.1 ppg on 39.5 percent field goal efficiency. The fact that they are also outrebounding foes by 11.2 rpg has been a key to success. In the 12-point victory over Wofford last time out, Michigan State connected on 54.5 percent of its field goal attempts and limited the Terriers to 36.5 percent shooting. A dominating 43-23 rebounding advantage certainly helped the cause.

The Citadel is not an explosive offensive team by any means, as the club is only generating 64.7 ppg on 43.3 percent shooting from the floor. Fortunately, the Bulldogs have been able to limit their opponents to 57.2 ppg on 42.5 percent field goal efficiency. Cameron Wells is the leading scorer for the club, as he is netting 17.4 ppg to go along with 5.2 rpg and 4.5 apg. Wells has also recorded 21 steals, and he is obviously extremely versatile. Zach Urbanus checks in with 13.7 ppg for The Citadel, while Joe Wolfinger rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers with 12.3 ppg. In the 25-point romp over Georgia Southern last time out, the Bulldogs forced 20 turnovers while committing just eight giveaways of their own. Urbanus scored 20 points, while Wells followed with 14 points.

While The Citadel isn't exactly a pushover, Michigan State is the far more talented team in this matchup and will win rather easily. Expect the Spartans to blow this game open in the second half.

Predicted Outcome

Michigan State 89, The Citadel 69