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Pregame Shootaround 1.27.13: Big Ten battle between Indiana, Michigan St. reigns supreme

Cody Zeller

Game of the Day: No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 13 Michigan State (1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)

Michigan State did not take advantage of its frontcourt assets, Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne nearly enough in its 49-47 win over Wisconsin earlier in the week. Now, against Cody Zeller and Indiana, they’ll need to. The Spartans cannot afford to shoot 38 percent as it did against the Badgers, especially not against the nation’s top scoring team and a team that shoots 50 percent from the floor itself.

For Indiana, the Hoosiers will look to Zeller and swingman Victor Oladipo, but a struggling bench remains a concern. Will Sheehey has not been producing at the rate he was earlier in the season and a game like this has the potential to highlight that major flaw. Indiana will have the benefit of a loud and likely sold out crowd at home in what is a good chance to pick up a win in the tough Big Ten conference slate.

Who’s Getting Upset?: Massachusetts (-3.5) vs. Richmond

Fresh off an upset victory over Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond has the momentum to go on the road and get a tough A-10 victory. Kendall Anthony was the catalyst for the Spiders in their win over VCU with 26 points, but he’ll run into one of the conference’s best point guards on Sunday when he matches up with UMass junior Chaz Williams. Both are low-to-the-ground, quick scoring point guards and that fails to mention Richmond’s Darien Brothers. He’ll make himself known on Sunday, too.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Day: Niagara vs. Canisius (4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

Niagara sits atop the MAAC standings at 8-1, but we know from the non-conference season what Canisius is capable of. Antoine Mason and Juan’ya Green are perhaps the conference’s most lethal scoring duo, averaging 18.4 points and 16.4 points respectively, but they will be countered by Billy Baron and Harold Washington, both solid scorers in their own right.

Both teams will be looking to score, so look for a game in the 70s on Sunday, especially if the guards start finding their stroke.

Five Things to Watch For

1) With so many Top 5 teams losing this week, the nation’s No. 1 spot likely belongs to Michigan, if it can get a win over Illinois on Sunday. The Wolverines have lost just one game so far this season.

2) Doug McDermott was sick with flu-like symptoms in the second half of his team’s loss to Drake earlier this week and his performance struggled because of it. The Bluejays hope to have him fully healthy and back in the lineup on Sunday vs. Southern Illinois.

3) Fresh off its 27-point trouncing of No. 1 Duke on Wednesday, Miami looks to avoid a letdown vs. Florida State. Reggie Johnson will be looking to continue to work back to full game shape after returning from injury vs. Duke.

4) St. John’s has a Big East Rookie of the Year candidate in freshman JaKarr Sampson and one of the nation’s premiere shot blockers, Chris Obekpa. They’ve notched two impressive wins over ranked teams, Cincinnati and Notre Dame. Lavin is building something solid in Queens. They take on Seton Hall on Sunday.

5) Northeastern remains undefeated in CAA play. George Mason looks to change that Sunday and get a big road win to pull within a game of the top spot in the conference.

The Top 25

No. 2 Michigan vs. Illinois (6:00 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)

No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 13 Michigan State (1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)

N0. 17 Creighton vs. Soutern Illinois (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

No. 25 Miami vs. Florida State (6:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

Other Notable Games

Seton Hall vs. St. John’s (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

Virginia Tech vs. Clemson (1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

Rutgers vs. Connecticut (2:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

California vs. Colorado (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Net National)

Iowa vs. Purdue (3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)

Niagara vs. Canisius (4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

George Mason vs. Northeastern (8:00 p.m. ET)

Stanford vs. Utah (9:00 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Networks)

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_