Perhaps the perfect lead into Saturday’s basketball game against the dastardly maize and blue is a matchup on the ice at Munn Ice Arena between the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines.

These two teams have met twice already this season, albeit one was not an official game and they have both won one game apiece. At the consolation game of the GLI (Great Lakes Invitational), the Spartans made a mockery of the Wolverines in a 3-0 whitewash. However, the Wolverines returned the favor with a 2-1 victory over the Spartans at Joe Louis Arena last Thursday.

The Spartans look to take revenge over their last-second defeat Wednesday night and will probably come out with fire in their bellies. Michigan however, will come out just as hard, carrying the momentum of Thursday’s win into East Lansing.

The deciding factor in this one may be the crowd. The A-Team is certainly making its presence felt on the ice and with the Wolverines coming into their building, there ix no reason they should not be just as fired up to watch the Spartans on Friday.

While all of the attention will be on Tom Izzo and the basketball team on Saturday, Friday night belongs to hockey. With three very important points on the line, the environment at Munn should be surreal.

Jason Ruff is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports.

Photo: Jonathan Yales/Impact Sports