Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Open Road Trip Against Wildcats
1/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - With its 40-game home winning streak intact, third-ranked Michigan State plays the first of three straight road games when it visits Northwestern on Wednesday.
The Spartans (15-1, 4-1 Big Ten), who played five of their last six games at home, are out to prove their recent success will continue regardless of the venue.
"It's going to be really a key stretch for us," freshman center Zach Randolph said. "It's going to definitely show how good we are."
Following this contest, the Spartans travel to Ohio State on Saturday before visiting Ann Arbor on Tuesday to face archrival Michigan.
Michigan State will likely be short-handed against the Wildcats (7-11, 0-6) on Wednesday, with senior forward Andre Hutson still recovering from pneumonia. Hutson will be replaced by freshman Adam Ballinger, who scored 10 points in his first career start Sunday as the Spartans posted a 71-56 victory over Ohio State.
With Hutson out of the lineup, Michigan State's talented freshman crop will again be put to the test. The Spartans' rookie tandem of Randolph and Marcus Taylor have been equal to the task thus far, combing to average 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
Though these players cannot replace Hutson's leadership, the experience they gain could help the defending national champions in the long run.
"This time of year, I'm not looking for a lot of blessing in disguise," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "But is it going to help us? I'm sure it's going to help us some. I'd just like to get this whole team back together and get everybody playing together - and that's been difficult this year. Right now, I still don't think we're in sync."
The Spartans figure to get healthy against the Wildcats, who have lost 28 straight conference games. Northwestern is coming off a 78-59 loss to Purdue on Saturday, when it shot just 33 percent from the field.
Michigan State had little trouble disposing of Northwestern in the first meeting two weeks ago, racing to an 84-53 victory. The Spartans hold a 64-36 edge in the all-time series, including wins in six straight and 26 of the last 27 games.
