Weekend Preview: No. 13 Michigan State visits No. 7 Indiana on Sunday

Game of the Weekend: No. 13 Michigan State at No. 7 Indiana (Sun. 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)

It hasn’t been pretty for the Spartans, but after almost a month of Big Ten play, Tom Izzo’s team is sitting all alone in first place in the league standings at 6-1. And when you look at what the Spartans have done this season, it’s tough not to wonder why they’re not being discussed as a true contender. They have three losses on the year. One was in the season’s opening game in Germany when they played an ugly 15 minutes to start the game. One came at Miami before Reggie Johnson broke his thumb. One came Minnesota when they were up by five with nine minutes left.

This is a really good basketball team, one that may actually be able to knock Michigan and Indiana out of the Big Ten’s top spot.

The Hoosiers are not going to be an easy team to beat at home, however. Not after Wisconsin went in there and won. But Michigan State can do some of the same things Wisconsin did. They can control the tempo, they can control the back boards, they have size to bother Cody Zeller and they have athletes on the perimeter that can chase people off of the three point line. Whatever the case, Sunday’s game should be a dandy, and Assembly Hall should be rocking.

Five more games to watch:

• No. 15 New Mexico at San Diego State (4:00 p.m. ET NBC Sports Net): This is a long way from a must-win game for the Aztecs, but if they have any thoughts of winning the Mountain West regular season title, this is a game that they need. New Mexico currently holds a two-game lead on every in the conference. The Aztecs get them at home with a chance to avoid falling three games off of the pace. And you don’t want to have to make up three games in this meat-grinder that is the Mountain West.

• No. 12 Minnesota at Wisconsin (2:00 p.m. ET, Big Ten Net): After being tossed into the conversation with Michigan and Indiana at the top of the Big Ten, the Gophers all of a sudden appear to be pretty average. After losing to Indiana and Michigan, Minnesota went into Evanston and lost their third game in a row to Northwestern. And now they have to visit the Badgers while trying to avoid a fourth straight loss and a fall below .500 in the Big Ten? Ugh. Good luck.

• La Salle at No. 19 VCU (8:00 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Net): La Salle is coming off of beating No. 9 Butler at the buzzer. VCU is coming off of a loss to rival Richmond on the road in overtime. Will momentum carry over? La Salle does matchup fairly well with the Rams, as they have a quartet of solid guards in their back court.

• North Carolina at No. 18 NC State (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN): This game as a chance to be as entertaining to watch as any game this weekend. North Carolina loves to get up and down the floor, and NC State is no stranger to pushing the tempo either. Both teams have quality scorers and some high-flying athletes, and neither team is a big fan of playing defense. James Michael McAdoo and CJ Leslie going head-to-head should be interesting, and it should allow us to determine who is the captain of the “All-You-Should-Be-Better” team.

• No. 5 Louisville at Georgetown (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN): Can Louisville turnaround this two game losing streak? Can the Hoyas build off of the momentum they established with their win at Notre Dame? It’s going to come down to two things for the Hoyas — Can they avoid turning the ball over against Louisville’s pressure? And can they score in the half court against their 2-3 zone without a lot of shooters on the floor?

And the Mid-Majors?

• North Dakota State at South Dakota State (3:05 p.m. ET)
• Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State (4:00 p.m. ET)
• Belmont at Eastern Kentucky (7:00 p.m. ET)
• Iona at Loyola (MD) (Sun. 12:00 p.m. ET)
• George Mason at Northeastern (Sun. 8:00 p.m. ET)

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.