WEST MICHIGAN — Two of the nation's top men's basketball programs will clash Friday night when No. 7 Michigan State hosts No. 3 Michigan in what promises to be a pivotal Big Ten matchup.
Both teams enter the rivalry game with impressive records and high expectations, setting up what many consider a toss-up between two contrasting but successful approaches to modern college basketball.
Jason Hutton, former Sports Director here at FOX 17, and current radio and podcast host, believes fans are in for a treat.
"We have two of the best teams in the country. It's fun, right?" Hutton said.
The Spartans have exceeded expectations this season under Tom Izzo's traditional approach of recruiting and developing players rather than relying heavily on the transfer portal.
"State's really good, and maybe a little bit surprisingly, I don't know if there was as much expectations on this team, as many of those teams in the past, but they have just really performed at a high level," Hutton said. "You know, it's this day and age of college basketball. It's transfer portal, it's go get experienced guys. And Tom Izzo doesn't believe in that. He likes to recruit and build and keep players, which is hard to do these days, and the players he's kept like a Jaxon Kohler, like a Jeremy Fears Jr. I mean, these guys have really developed, and I think that's what's led to this team being maybe better than some expected."
Michigan has taken the opposite approach under head coach Dusty May, building their roster through the transfer portal with considerable success.
"I think they're really good," Hutton said of the Wolverines. "He's got a bunch of older guys, really good players, and the hard part with that is getting them all to play together at a high level. But Michigan has done that very, very well. They're really talented. They play together well, they can really score. I think they're fun to watch because they're averaging 93 a game."
Despite Michigan's high-scoring offense, Hutton expects Friday's rivalry atmosphere to produce a different type of game.
"I feel like this is going to be just one of those physical, hard-nose tough games where the tougher team is going to win, and I think it's going to be in the 60s," Hutton said.
For his prediction, Hutton sees the home court advantage playing a crucial role.
WATCH: Jason's prediction for MSU vs. UM
"I think they're going to split, and I think the home team will win each time. It's just so hard to win on the road. So I would take Michigan State something like 68-65 for this one," Hutton said.
Remember you can watch FOX 17's special special pre-game show starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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