Two of the Big Ten's best coaches, Matt Painter and Tom Izzo, will face off as their respective programs head into the final three games of the season going in much

different directions.

Painter's #2 Purdue Boilermakers are 25-3 on the season and 16-4 in the Big Ten. With a win against Michigan State or an Illinois loss, Purdue will be guaranteed a tie of the Big Ten Title. With two wins, Purdue will be the outright Big Ten champs for the second season in a row.

Tom Izzo has a 17-11 Spartans team that's firmly on the bubble with a resume that's bolstered by the name of its own program and coach more than its on-court accolades.

Michigan State got the season started being on the wrong end of headlines, losing to James Madison in overtime at home. Then, its usual strong non-conference scheduling led to two more high-profile losses to Duke and Arizona.

Unfortunately for Izzo, his team hasn't done much outside a win against Baylor on a Semi-Home court that constitutes a good win. Besides that Baylor win, Michigan State has only a win against Illinois at home against top-40 teams on Kenpom. A win against Purdue would go a long way for the Spartans to secure a spot in March.

Purdue has won 11 of its last 12 games. Michigan State is coming off back to back losses to Iowa and Ohio State.

Its a tough ask to not make it a three-game losing streak with the Spartans having to go into Mackey Arena where Purdue has not lost this season.

Both teams will be able to take major steps towards end of the season goals with a win. Purdue will guarantee a piece of the conference trophy. Michigan State will add a marquee win that might be enough to force its way into the NCAA Tournament.

It should be a good one on Saturday night at 8:00 pm at Mackey Arena.

Tom Izzo's bad mood might be explained by a rotating NCAA landscape, but it also just might be that his team doesn't exhibit the normal toughness and rebounding that usually defines a Michigan State Spartans team.

This particular Michigan State team is outside the top 150 in rebounding rate on both the offensive and defense end.

The truth is though, this has been the way of the Spartans for close to the last decade. The glass, in the Big Ten, has instead been dominated by Purdue and Matt Painter's endless collection of 7+ footers.

And there's never been a seven footer as dominant as Zach Edey.

Which brings another Tom Izzo habit into discussion, Izzo likes to stay one on one with bigs. He did it last year against Edey, and Edey made the Spartans pay by scoring a career-high 39 points including the game winner up in East Lansing.

Tom Izzo just doesn't have the horses inside this year. Mady Sissoko has always been a limited player, same for Carson Cooper. Both offer the best size and rebounding on the team, but neither offer much on the offensive end.

Five-star true freshman Xavier Booker has been threatened as an answer off and on throughout the season, but Izzo has shown a lack of trust in the Indiana high school star.

Booker did get his first start of his career on the 25th against Ohio State, but Booker played just 17 points and had 7 points, including 1 of 3 from three. But Izzo has also said that Booker's playing has been a match-up choice at times this season.

Booker has only collected double-digit minutes five times this season before the start on Sunday.

Booker offers athleticism and shot making, particularly from three, that Izzo's other big men simply don't. But he's also a true freshman that hasn't been trusted for long stretches of the season. He's had seven did not plays this year, and now Michigan State will look to face the dominant big man in college basketball in Zach Edey.

Will this be a matchup Izzo will be comfortable with? Will Booker play the four while Purdue plays big with Trey Kaufman-Renn? Will Izzo actually double Edey inside, allowing them to try and use Booker to get Edey away from the rim at the other end?

All options are on the table and will be the fascinating chess move between coaches.

Tyson Walker continues to struggle with a groin injury that seems to be a maintenance issue and something that Walker just has to play with in his final season at Michigan State.

Walker is still one of the elite ball dominant guards in the country, but his efficiency has taken a hit. After shooting 42% from three last season, he's down to just 37% from three this year. Walker's best ability on the floor is to get into his jumper in isolation and through bodies. He's burned Purdue plenty with his ability to create space for himself.

Before Zach Edey was the hero of last year's matchup, Walker was, knocking down a collection of difficult jumpers against Purdue. But Walker is still a guard that lacks size, doesn't get to the line, and whose play making has taken a small step back over earlier iterations.

Walker is one of three dangerous and capable guards for Michigan State which is what makes the Spartans such a difficult team to contend with. Walker will most likely garner the attention of Purdue's best perimeter defender, Lance Jones.

With an ailing groin, Purdue will want to make sure nothing is easy for Walker. The more Walkers has to work for his looks, the better.

But Jones has the tendency to get lost on screens at times and with AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins, Walker is able to play both on and off ball. The Spartans will take advantage of Walker's ability to work through screens to try and create space for him to work on offense.

Michigan State hasn't had much fun in Mackey Arena of late. It hasn't won at Mackey Arena since 2014. The decade has had Purdue go through up and downs in the middle oughts, but it's had success against Michigan State at Mackey Arena as its claimed the top spot in the Big Ten.

Michigan State lost to Purdue 77-61 on the road last season. The last game decided by single-digits between these two teams at Mackey Arena was in 2016 when Purdue won a game in overtime 82-81.

"He[Izzo] does a lot of stuff on a national level and a conference level trying to improve the game. We serve on a lot of committees and things together. We've had a lot of conversations on how messed up things are more than anything. But also trying to be solution based. We have an archaic system and our system is grossly flawed. So just trying to - instead of complaining all the time - trying to figure out how we can go about this to get some things so it can be better for everybody."