Michigan State basketball vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Time, TV channel, stream info

All Michigan State fans wanted after suffering through the dire 4-8 football season that was plagued by controversies and blowout losses was a nice, fun basketball season.

So far, Tom Izzo and his crew have produced anything but that.

The Spartans' struggles start with their inability to score the ball so far. It's early in the year, but MSU ranks No. 229 in the nation with just 72.6 points per game.

You can really feel how much the Spartans miss last year's power forward, Joey Hauser, who was the team's best shooter and hit 46.1% of his 3s while averaging 14.4 points per game. With Hauser gone and one of their other reliable shooters, Jaden Akins, on a terrible shooting spell, the Spartans are shooting a putrid 27.5% on 3-pointers, good for 328th in the nation. Akins is hitting just 27.3% of his 3s after hitting 42.2% last year on high volume.

JUST RELAX: Michigan State basketball not crushed by Big Ten-opening loss: 'We're gonna figure it out'

Combine the poor shooting with a series of slow starts, a lack of interior presence, and a tough schedule and it's not all that surprising the Spartans have been struggling, which was all on display Tuesday when Michigan State lost at home to Wisconsin, 70-57.

If the Spartans are going to get this season back on track (it is only early December, by the way) they'll likely have to do it on the back of their defense. Top to bottom, the Spartans have a really solid defensive team with very few weak links. If you were to point to anything, it would probably be the center position, as Mady Sissoko and Carson Cooper are a bit limited, but both play very hard and when staggered right, can be an effective duo.

Michigan State has the No. 33 defense in the nation entering Sunday, allowing just 63.2 points per game. As the old saying goes, defense travels, which the Spartans will certainly be hoping is the case when they head to Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sunday looking for their first Big Ten win.

Nebraska is 7-2 on the year but has lost its past two games, against Creighton and Minnesota. The Cornhuskers' offense ranks No. 133 in the nation (77.3 points per game) while their defense is slightly better nationally at No. 77 (66.4).

MSU is 15-3 all-time against Nebraska and is currently riding an 11-game win streak, with the Cornhuskers last beating the Spartans in January of 2016.

Michigan State basketball vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers start time

• Matchup: Spartans (4-4) vs. Cornhuskers (7-2).

• Date: Sunday, Dec. 10.

• Time: 6:30 p.m. ET.

• Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

• Spread: Nebraska by 2.

• Box score

What channel is Michigan State basketball vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers today?

• TV channel: Big Ten Network.

• Stream: FoxSports app and Fubo (free trial).

• Radio: WJR-AM (760) (Spartans radio affiliates).

READ MORE: Michigan State basketball: Jaden Akins' slump mirrors Spartans' struggles

Michigan State basketball schedule 2023-04

Find Michigan State's entire 2023-24 schedule.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Time, TV channel