No. 18 Gopher men to face No. 12 Michigan State

Feb 3, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Gophers guard Austin Hollins (20) reacts to a call in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

The Gopher men’s basketball team will be in East Lansing Wednesday night to face the Michigan State Spartans who are seeking revenge after losing the Big Ten opener to the Gophers on New Year’s Eve.

Minnesota was ranked No. 9 in the first game between the two teams while the Spartans were ranked No. 18 as the Gophers beat Michigan State 76-63 at Williams Arena.

In the month since that game, the tables have turned as the Gophers have dropped four match ups against Big Ten teams, slipping to No. 18 this week while the Spartans have only had one loss since the final day of 2012, currently ranked No. 12.

The Gophers will look to break an embarrassing streak of road losses as they have managed to win only one conference road game this season, at Illinois.

The conditions could not be worse for Minnesota as they are 20-34 against the Spartans on the road. But if the Gopher can pull out an upset win Wednesday night, they will sweep the season series against Michigan State for the first time since 1996-97 — also the year that saw the Gophers play in the NCAA Final Four.

The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.