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Sunday’s Pregame Shootaround: Wisconsin hosts Michigan State

Wisconsin

GAME OF THE DAY: No. 9 Michigan State vs. Wisconsin,1 p.m. (CBS)

Adreian Payne returned to the Michigan State lineup on Feb. 6, after a seven-game absence, to score 12 points, grabbing three rebounds in 18 minutes of action in a win over Penn State. While Payne is back in the lineup, the status of senior point guard Keith Appling is still in question. Appling made the trip to Wisconsin but Michigan State Tom Izzo is uncertain when Appling will play again.

Michigan got pummeled by Iowa on Saturday, meaning Michigan State can take sole control of first place in the Big Ten standings with a win.

The Badgers sit at 5-5 in conference play, dropping five of their last seven games. Wisconsin has lost three consecutive games inside the Kohl Center.

WHO’S GETTING UPSET? No. 12 Creighton vs. St. John’s. 7 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

Less than two weeks ago, Doug McDermott hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds to defeat an upset-minded St. John’s. Dougie McBuckets scored 39 of Creighton’s 63 points. The Johnnies erased an 18-point second half deficit but had a defensive lapse, leaving McDermott open for his last-second heroics. The Red Storm get the Bluejays on their home floor on Sunday, and if they keep it close, maybe keep an eye on the national player of the year favorite.

MID-MAJOR GAME OF THE DAY: Iona vs. Canisius, 2 p.m.

Iona and Canisius meet for the second time this season with the Gaels leading the Golden Griffins by a game in the MAAC standings. These two teams first shared the floor on Jan. 17 with Canisius picked up an 85-83 win on the road, however Canisius had blown a 20-point lead. The Golden Griffins suffered an 11-point loss to Manhattan on Friday night.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1) The top two teams in the nation are in action at roughly the same time. Top-ranked Syracuse hosts Clemson at 6 p.m. No. 2 Arizona has Oregon State in Tuscon, beginning at 7 p.m.

2) Southern Miss can make it a two-way tie atop the Conference-USA standings with a win over Charlotte. The Golden Eagles trail UTEP by half a game.

3) UConn is fifth in the American Athletic Conference, heading to UCF in one of two American games on Sunday. Temple is at Houston in the first of the two games.

4) Arizona State landed a big win over Oregon at home on Saturday afternoon. The Sun Devils are in third place in the Pac-12 standings. Colorado can tie them with a win over Washington.

5) UMass has struggled in Atlantic 10 play, but had a promising outing against La Salle on Wednesday. Rhode Island has lost three of four, but the Rams are more than capable of pulling off the upset.

Follow @terrence_payne