COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Buckeyes victories over the Spartans have been few and far between, and neither program could use a win at a better time.

No. 13 Ohio State (13-4, 7-4 Big Ten) will host Michigan State (8-5, 2-5 Big Ten) at Value City Arena at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Buckeyes are currently on a two-game winning streak while the Spartans have dropped two in a row.

Michigan State will have played just once in the last 23 days due to issues with COVID-19 and are coming off their lowest-scoring affair in 13 years following a 67-39 defeat at Rutgers on Thursday. Led by 26th-year head coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans' last conference-win came on Jan. 5.

"I really believe we’re going to see Michigan State at their best," said fourth-year head coach Chris Holtmann. "There’s been very few coaches to get their teams to play as well into February and March as Tom. I know he and his staff are going to have them ready."

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Holtmann is 1-4 all-time against Michigan State, marking Holtmann's fewest wins against a Big Ten opponent. The Buckeyes' last win against the Spartans came Jan. 7, 2018, when Keita Bates-Diop scored 32 points in an 80-64 upset against then-No. 1 Michigan State.

Entering the season, the Spartans were ranked No. 13 and reached as high as fourth in the AP Poll after getting out to a 6-0 start. Collectively, the Spartans are shooting 43.7% against conference opponents and sport the lowest turnover margin in the Big Ten (-2.46).

"They’re extremely well-coached, they’re tough-minded, talented and they’ve got some older guys," Holtmann said. "We expect a heck of a battle, much like every Big Ten game. With Michigan State, they always present a physical element to how they play and a mental and physical toughness."

Junior forward Aaron Henry is perhaps the Spartans' most-dynamic playmaker. Although he scored just seven points last time out, Henry dropped double-digits in 11-consecutive games.

The 6-foot-6 wing scored 12 points in 37 minutes against the Buckeyes a season ago. Henry currently leads the Spartans in scoring, assists, blocks and steals, but has made the second-fewest 3-pointers of any Michigan State starter.

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Redshirt-junior forward Joey Hauser is another versatile wing at Izzo's disposal. The 6-foot-9 Wisconsin native is Michigan State's second-leading scorer averaging over 11 points per game and has notched four double-doubles.

Sophomore guard Rocket Watts has brought the ball up for the Spartans and is third on the team in scoring with just over nine points per-game. The 6-foot-2 All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection attended SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, during his senior year as a prep player.

"Rocket Watts is a phenomenal player, Aaron Henry is tremendous, they’re bringing Hauser," Holtmann said. "They got great respect for the talent, obviously the coaching, they know they’re a very good team. They know the caliber of team Michigan State is."

The Buckeyes are coming off an 83-79 home win over Penn State, keyed behind 22 points from sophomore forward E.J. Liddell and a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double from redshirt-junior Justice Sueing.

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Liddell has scored at least 20 points in three of his last four games and is shooting 59.1% in that span.

Junior forward Justin Ahrens is in the midst of a five-game streak with at least three 3-pointers. Interestingly enough, Ahrens is the lone Buckeye to have played the Spartans previously but not scored a point against them.

The Nittany Lions gave Ohio State a scare, however, and forced the Buckeyes to commit a season-high 17 turnovers.

In seven games this month, the Buckeyes are shooting 46.3% from the field and are averaging 75.6 points per game behind the Big Ten's fourth-best scoring offense.

Holtmann said Friday he expects senior guard Jimmy Sotos (shoulder) and sophomore forward Ibrahima Diallo (knee) to be unavailable for Sunday's game.

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When talking about how prepared his Buckeyes squad is to not overlook the rust Michigan State may have shown, Holtmann believes they understand any team in the Big Ten can emerge victorious on any given day.

“They were top-five, they know the caliber of players there," Holtmann said. "I think they’ve got an understanding of how good this team is. Michigan State, they’re not going to struggle the whole year. They’re too good, too well-coached, too talented. No question in my mind they’ll be a tournament team."

Sunday's contest between Michigan State and No. 13 Ohio State marks the first of two meetings between the programs this season, and the series record at Value City Arena is deadlocked at 7-7.

The two teams will tipoff at 1 p.m. on CBS.