No Jud Heathcote. No Shawn Respert. No Fab Five.
No fight for the conference title.
Heck, it's not even counted as a conference game.
If there weren't such a heated rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State, tomorrow's 8 p.m. game in East Lansing would be nothing more than two middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams fighting over who's not quite in the middle.
Both teams are 4-3 in conference play, tied for fifth place, smack dab in the middle of the Big Ten. Both are coming off gut-wrenching losses that have removed them from the Big Ten race.
Still, tomorrow's game, televised by Creative Sports (Channel 7 in Ann Arbor and Detroit), promises to be an emotional one. After all, it is still Michigan vs. Michigan State. The two teams have jockeyed for position as the state's best team for decades.
"It's a special matchup," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo who has been involved in the rivalry since he took his first job at Michigan State in 1983 - one year after Steve Fisher joined the Michigan coaching staff.
What is special is that no matter how large the talent differential between the two teams, every game is a good one. Last year's pair of Michigan wins was the first time in years that the results were lopsided.
And the Breslin Center crowds, though not usually rowdy, hate Michigan with a passion unrivaled anywhere else in the country.
Michigan State freshman Jason Webber's parents won't even make the 90-minute drive from Birmingham to watch the game in person. Breslin crowds were never particularly kind to their other son, Chris, when he played for Michigan.
Jason isn't exactly the marquee player his brother was. He's far from being the Spartans' leading scorer - that distinction goes to senior guard Ray Weathers.
Michigan fans may remember Weathers as being a rather unspectacular successor to Respert last year. But Weathers has improved drastically as Michigan State's go-to guy this season, averaging almost 13 points per game.
Izzo's biggest threat is his deep bench. The Spartans don't exactly have a star player, but Izzo gets half a dozen points from at least 10 guys a game. Michigan State will rotate as many as 12 guys without losing much.
And while the Spartans aren't exactly a talented squad, they are athletic and hard- working. Izzo tries to run as much as possible to generate offense. Freshman point guard Mateen Cleaves has been progressing slowly but surely and now seems comfortable leading the offense either in transition or in half-court.
Defensively is where Michigan State must win games. Before Illinois scorched them for 11 3-pointers in a 66-63 Illini victory Wednesday night, the Spartans had the stingiest 3-point defense in the conference.
State also boasts the Big Ten's third-best scoring defense. The Spartans aren't too shabby on the boards either - sophomore Antonio Smith is the Big Ten's second-best rebounder.
Michigan State does however have a glaring hole in the middle. Smith is the only Spartan with any meat on his bones, and he's just 235 pounds. Northwestern's Evan Eschmeyer tore apart Michigan State's interior defense two games ago.
That's where Fisher will look to go early and often.
Michigan's frontcourt of Maurice Taylor, Robert Traylor and Maceo Baston are all beefier than every Spartan except the mascot.
Fisher's biggest worry will be foul trouble. With Izzo rotating 10 or 12 players, he can afford to hack away at Baston, Traylor and Taylor. The Wolverines can't exactly afford that luxury.
Michigan has been plagued by early fouls lately. Traylor picked up two in two minutes at Indiana Tuesday and sat down with his fifth when the Wolverines needed him most.
"Traylor has been our energizer and emotional leader," Fisher said. "We need him on the floor for longer periods if we're going to be any good defensively."
JONATHAN LURIE/Special to the Daily
Travis Conlan and the Wolverines will have to hold on to the ball against a tough Michigan State defense tomorrow night.