Michigan Wolverines basketball (18-2, 13-2 Big Ten) is set to take on Michigan State (14-10, 8-10 Big Ten) in two straight games, starting Thursday night at Crisler Center, with a follow-up game at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center to come Sunday afternoon.

Michigan needs just one more win to clinch its first outright Big Ten regular-season title since 2014 and has the chance to redeem itself after being blown out on its home floor by Illinois Tuesday.

The Spartans, who have won four of their last five games, are fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives and reside squarely on the bubble. A win over No. 2 Michigan would almost certainly put them in the field. MSU head coach Tom Izzo always has his team ready to play against the Wolverines, but considering the circumstances — and that they'll play twice in a row — this year's matchups are that much bigger.

“Any time you have a rivalry game, it’s exciting, but when the circumstances are what they are, there couldn’t be a bigger game, a bigger weekend, and a bigger two weeks than we’ve had," Izzo said.

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Thursday's game in Ann Arbor marks MSU's fifth game in 10 days for the Spartans and four in eight days for Michigan — that's just reality during this unique college basketball season, with both teams seeing multiple games postponed and rescheduled throughout the season (including this one, which was originally slated for Feb. 6).

While Izzo claimed there "will be no excuses, no matter what," and that his club will get some extra energy just from it being a rivalry game, he was adamant that fatigue will be a factor, even joking that he may put his players in wheelchairs during walk-throughs to conserve energy.

"We got our work cut out to make sure that we gotta do a better job, I gotta do a much better job — we gotta sub people," Izzo said Tuesday after beating Indiana by six points. "I told [former walk-on and redshirt junior guard] Jack Hoiberg, ‘Be ready to play.’ We gotta sub a little bit better, somehow, some way, no matter what, and see if we can have enough energy down the stretch."

"I don’t know how they [Michigan] are, but I know where we are right now. I don’t know if that fatigue factor affects both of us. I just keep telling my guys there is no such thing as being tired. And then they look at me like I’m insane, but that’s the battle cry we use.

“Someway, somehow, you’ve got to reach down. True champions, great players, find a way to rise to the occasion."

Above any potential "tiredness," the biggest challenge will come from Juwan Howard's Michigan club, which has lost just twice this season, ranks top five six nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency and appears to be a lock for a No. 1 seed come Selection Sunday.

“You can argue that they are the best team in the country,” Izzo said. “They are definitely one of the best two or three teams in the country. Ironically, they lost the other night to maybe one of the other best teams in the country. When you’ve got four teams in the top eight or nine, and three teams that are in the top five for the last month, I’d say everybody is due to have what I’d consider an off night.

“Illinois played awfully well. I thought Michigan played uncharacteristically not as well as they’ve been playing. It's hard to keep that up through an entire season, but they’ve done an unbelievable job of it.”

Izzo mentioned how impressive how Michigan's veterans and newcomers have all blended nicely together.

“I give them a lot of credit,” Izzo said. “They’ve had a hell of a year and have earned the right to be called a Final Four contender and a No. 1 seed. I’ve been there before, and it’s something that is earned. They have earned it.

"[Sophomore wing Franz] Wagner has been there for a couple years now, and they’ve got some veterans,” Izzo said. “When you add a guy like [fifth-year senior guard Mike] Smith and the big guy in the middle, all of a sudden you have a very, very good team. The other big addition is the [senior guard Chaundee] Brown kid from Wake Forest. So, it’s a pretty experienced team other than their center, and a team that has grown defensively.”

Speaking of the center, he's leading Michigan in points (14.4) and rebounds (7.7) per outing. His presence down low has been key in opening up space for the Wolverines' shooters, such as senior forward Isaiah Livers, on the perimeter.

Without a true post presence, MSU has struggled to guard elite bigs one-on-one in the paint. When Dickinson does see single coverage, he has routinely went off for big nights, including seven games of scoring more than 15 points.

“They’ve done a good job with him, and he’s done a good job,” Izzo said. “He’s very much under control for a freshman, knows what he can do and can’t do. He’s not taking shots he can’t make. They’ve put him in a position where he can be successful. He’s a load to stop down there, and the best thing I see on film from him is that he is a very good passer, which means he has very good basketball IQ.”

Added Izzo of his team's post defense as of late: “We've played a little bit more physically and aren’t letting a guy stand where he wants to stand. My staff has good job with that, and I think the guys have done a good job with that. Why not earlier? It’s all part of the process. And at the same time, we have had had moments where we’ve been good, just not with consistency.”

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