The No. 8 Michigan State Spartans (17-2, 8-0) are preparing for another gritty Big Ten battle when they host the Minnesota Gophers (11-9, 3-6) on Tuesday night at the Breslin Center. Despite the Gophers’ record, this is a team that has gained immense momentum since their last meeting.

If the Spartans want to continue their impressive winning ways, they must avoid underestimating certain teams. Coach Tom Izzo has always coached his players to value every opponent equally and with the recent success that Minnesota has found, this will be a tougher game than anticipated.

In their first meeting back in early December, the Spartans demolished Minnesota on the road, 90-72. It was the first of six-straight losses for the Gophers as they were the worst team in the Big Ten after the first few weeks. They have since turned a corner with three massive victories, two of them ranked.

The Gophers earned their first conference victory just over a week ago, upsetting the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from fifth-year senior forward Dawson Garcia.

The winning would not stop there as they responded with a road win over the Iowa Hawkeyes with another upset victory coming against the No. 15 Oregon Ducks on Saturday night. They may be out of contention for a Big Ten regular season title, but their competition level has risen exponentially.

With two season-changing wins against top-25 teams, this Gophers group is a completely different team than what the Spartans faced almost two months ago. Home-court advantage will be a key factor along with the productive depth that the entire Michigan State roster holds.

The Spartans have done a great job this season of taking care of business against teams that they are projected to beat. They have handled business against the bottom half of the Big Ten and seek to maintain that narrative.

One outcome is certain for Tuesday night, either the Spartans will continue their undefeated record in Big Ten play and win their 13th-straight game or Minnesota will pick up their third ranked win in four games. Both teams are playing great, but one’s winning streak will come to an end.

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A Minnesotan was killed in a skydiving accident in Arizona on Friday.

According to the Eloy, AZ, Police Department, first responders were called to Skydive Arizona around 4:06 p.m. on Friday on a report of a parachutist “experiencing complications during descent.”

Despite medics trying to save her life, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities identified her as 55-year-old Ann Wick of Minnesota.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. The FAA confirmed to KSTP that it is investigating the packing of the parachutes and rules of flight for the pilot and plane. If it doesn’t find any evidence of violating regulations, it will defer any further investigation to local law enforcement.

The FAA said it does not determine the cause of the accident.

EAST LANSING — Two of the top teams near the country face off again on Saturday night, as the Michigan State Spartans wrap up their weekend set against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

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Michigan State opened up the weekend in a big way on Friday night, hammering the Golden Gophers 9-3. While things were tight early on, MSU exploded for four goals in the second period, and pulled away with another four in the third.

Isaac Howard and David Gucciardi each two goals for the Spartans, while Daniel Russell, Mikey DeAngelo, Charlie Stramel, Tommi Mannisto, Matt Basgall and Maxim Strbak each had multi-point games. Strbak led the green and white with four assists.

The Spartans came into the weekend after losing out on the No. 1 ranking in the country for the first time in 2025. That came after MSU split their weekend series with rival Michigan. Yet, despite their nine-game unbeaten streak ending, the Spartans still have one of the best teams in the country.

The Gophers also came out with a split last weekend. Losing and beating Notre Dame on home ice. While Minnesota certainly has one of the top groups in the NCAA, they have not won consecutive games since they swept Michigan last month.

Heading into Saturday night, the Spartans sit atop the Big Ten, four points ahead of the Gophers.

The Spartans are now 3-0 against the Gophers, which included two wins in Minneapolis

NCAA MEN’S HOCKEY

#4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-6-2, 10-4-1 B1G) vs. #2 Michigan State Spartans (20-3-2, 11-2-2 B1G)

When: Saturday, January 25

Time: 6 p.m. ET

Where: Munn Ice Arena (East Lansing, Mich.)

Channel: Big Ten Network

Stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), Sling, DirecTV Stream

Check out the NCAA Men’s Hockey rankings here