Michigan State appears to still be kicking the rust off after being sidelined for three weeks due to COVID-19 related issues within the program.

As if Thursday’s 67-37 loss to Rutgers wasn’t bad enough on Thursday, the Spartans are struggling mightily in Columbus on Sunday in their second game since being cleared to play. Ohio State owns a 42-30 lead through the first 20 minutes.

Ohio State has won five of its last six outings and is looking to get its third-straight victory on Sunday. The Buckeyes entered Sunday’s games having won its last two games against Wisconsin and Penn State.

The Spartans, on the other hand, are trying to avoid a third-straight loss. Michigan State blew a 17-point lead to Purdue in East Lansing in its final game before the three-week pause. MSU got blown out by Rutgers on Thursday and is suffering from a double-digit deficit in the opening half against Ohio State.

Michigan State is 8-5 on the season but just 2-5 in B1G play. The Spartans need to start gathering some wins to be in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid at the end of the season. Right now, though, things are not looking good for Tom Izzo’s bunch.

We’ll see if anything changes in the second half.