The nonconference season wasn't kind to the Spartans, but all is not lost.

One of the great things about college basketball is the second season - the conference season. Not only does that give the Spartans new life, it means there are more marquee matchups for The State News' resident basketball experts (don't let C. Mack's diminutive frame fool you) to argue about.

Michigan (10-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) at MSU (6-7, 1-1)

C. Mack - The rivalry is back. The Wolverines no longer lie in the shadows of the ballers from East Lansing as they did in the late '90s. The Spartans are far from the days when the intrastate rivalry ended in a look at the scoreboard and having to suck up a 40-point defeat.

True, the Wolverines are looking like the better team to date, but these Spartans are turning the corner. (If you watched MSU's dominating 76-58 victory over Penn State on Wednesday, you know what I'm talking about.

Are the Spartans close to being the squad that was ranked No. 3 in the preseason? No. But don't be surprised if this game helps the Spartans get on their way.
MSU 77, U-M 70

Uncle Joey - When I think of MSU-U-M basketball games, I think of LaVell Blanchard. I went to the 2001 regular- season finale at Breslin Center when the Spartans beat the Wolverines, 78-57, to win the conference.

Fans rushed the floor after the final buzzer sounded, and I ran out on the court with four fingers in the air (it was MSU's fourth- straight Big Ten title), looking for players to mob. Then I noticed Blanchard standing alone by one of the tunnels, just watching the celebration. It was awesome.

Blanchard is from Ann Arbor, and he committed to U-M when he was practically in middle school. The kid literally bled maize and blue. But at that moment, I could tell he wanted to be a member of the Spartans more than anything. That's what was so great about MSU basketball - U-M couldn't compare to MSU and they knew it. The whole state knew it.

But last season, all that ended. U-M beat MSU in Ann Arbor and brought back the "rivalry"; between the schools. Good, great, grand. MSU fans don't want a rivalry, they want to pummel U-M into submission. This time, though, it's not going to happen and it probably won't for a while. Get used to the "rivalry," because U-M's got the young talent to match the Spartans for the next few years.

I'll take the Spartans with the home-court advantage.
MSU 66, U-M 58

Iowa (9-4, 2-1) at No. 25 Illinois (10-4, 1-2)

C. Mack - Ouch. Did you see Northwestern literally pile-drive Illinois on Wednesday? OK, it wasn't that bad, but I could still feel the aftermath of that.

Things aren't looking good in Champaign, Ill. Already, the Fighting Illini have two conference losses and they're only three games into the Big Ten season.

I know Iowa is on the rise, but Illinois already has one home loss on its résumé, so don't expect another. And with Deron Williams and Dee Brown leading the charge, Illinois will take out all its frustration on the Hawkeyes.
Illinois 80, Iowa 63

Uncle Joey - Illinois was my preseason pick to win the Big Ten, and I'm sticking to my guns. Purdue beat Illinois at home last weekend and lost to Northwestern on Wednesday, but the Fighting Illini will work their way back into the Big Ten race.

Iowa has been somewhat of a mystery this season. It topped No. 8 Louisville in Indianapolis earlier this season, then lost to Northern Iowa on the road. The Hawkeyes have strong senior leadership in guard Brody Boyd and forward Glen Worley, but Illinois has more talent.
Illinois 75, Iowa 69.

No. 1 Connecticut (14-1) at No. 9 North Carolina (10-3)

C. Mack - UConn is unstoppable. Period.

Complain all you want about the Huskies' lack of depth - it won't matter come March, and it won't matter on Saturday.

I will not be stunned if Connecticut doesn't lose another game this season, and I know they have tough games against Notre Dame, Syracuse and Pittsburgh.

Tar Heels head coach, Roy Williams, has the boys at Carolina believing and playing like champions, but they are a very young squad and are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Maryland. Unfortunately for Williams and the Heels, they are running into a team Maryland doesn't even compare to.
UConn 94, North Carolina 83

Uncle Joey - Whoa there, C. Mack. After you're done gushing about UConn, let me tell you about the high-scoring Heels. The backcourt duo of Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants coupled with Sean May in the middle is a force. I'm not a big Roy Williams fan (Bonnie Bernstein was right), but he does seem to have North Carolina on track, despite its conference loss to Maryland Wednesday.

But UConn does look like the best team in the country right now. C. Mack said the Huskies are short on depth. But how about that free throw shooting? As a team, UConn is shooting just over 60 percent from the charity stripe. Taking the noisy Smith Center crowd into account, the Huskies could be in trouble.
North Carolina 94, UConn 88.