This update comes to you from Toronto, our third stop on this lengthy trip. It is an amazing city and we stayed out a little too late last night, so unfortunately this game preview will have to be quite abbreviated to get us back across the border and up to Auburn Hills on time.

Michigan State, much like UCLA, is a tough match-up for the Horns. They play good defensive basketball, grinding the game down to their tempo. Ken Pomeroy has their tempo near the bottom of the rankings. The interesting thing about this year’s Spartan team, though, is their increased offensive efficiency, as their adjusted offensive efficiency is only seven points lower than Texas’ numbers.

If you remember last year’s meeting at Madison Square Garden, you may also remember that the Spartans held the Horns to only 20.6% shooting in the second half. Michigan State also beat the Horns solidly on the glass, grabbing a ton of rebounds and second-chance points. The battle on the glass could again be problematic for Texas this evening, particularly considering how the Horns have struggled to control the boards even against much smaller teams this season. Tom Izzo has some big-time rebounding threats in Raymar Morgan, Goran Sutan, and to a lesser extent Marquise Gray, so Connor Atchley and Damion James will have their hands full.

Drew Neitzel is obviously the heart and soul of this team, but he is struggling from an uncomfortable bout of streak-itis. He’s yet to put together a complete game against one of the tougher opponents on the Spartans’ schedule, but still averages 14.5 points per game. He also always seems to take — and make — the big shots late in the game, so if this one is close at the end, Texas needs to keep the ball out of his hands.

Texas proved in Los Angeles that it can win a tough, grind-it-out basketball game against a bigger team. That is going to be their task tonight, and they have a good chance to do so. They will need to limit the easy put-backs and fight through screens or constantly switch to keep Michigan State from freeing up Neitzel. Texas should also expect to struggle offensively against a Tom Izzo team, but must not abandon their game plan.

TV for this one is ESPN2, although it appears it won’t be in HD. Tip is 5:30 P.M. Central, so flip over to the Deuce as the Horns go for their third win over a top-ten opponent in only two months.