No. 10 Michigan State men’s basketball seeks its second straight home win in a matchup against unranked Wisconsin on Feb. 13. – No. 10 Michigan State men’s basketball seeks its second straight win in a matchup against unranked Wisconsin on Feb. 13.
Michigan State faces one of the hottest teams in the league as Wisconsin has won eight of its last 10 games. Tom Izzo credited Wisconsin’s guards and veterans for their success.
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“They’ve got very good guard play and yet, they’re veterans,” said Izzo.
“I think experience always helps and then having some guys, they’ve got a pretty good mixture. They get (Nick) Boyd in because they lost their point guard but boy, when you have a guy as good as (John) Blackwell who’s been in the program three years, as good as (Nolan) Winter who’s been in the program four years, I think that really benefits them like it benefits us.”
When looking at how Michigan State matches up with Wisconsin, both teams rank in the top half of the Big Ten Conference, creating precedence for a high-level matchup.
The game is a clash of styles where Michigan State’s stout defense goes against Wisconsin’s high-powered offense.
Michigan State is ranked in second in the Big Ten in points allowed with 65.6 PPG. The Spartans offense ranks ninth in the conference with 79.1 PPG, which is the middle of the pack.
Wisconsin is ranked third in the conference in points per game with 83.3 PPG. However, the Badgers are ranked near the bottom of the conference in defense, allowing 75.8 PPG.
Wisconsin’s offense is powered by its three-point shooting, ranking second in the conference in three-pointers made with 265.
Michigan State ranks 14th in the conference in three-point shooting, making just 180.
The teams share an identical three-point percentage of 35%.
Michigan State enters the game coming off a 85-82 overtime win against Illinois at home on Feb. 7. The Spartans battled the then No.5 ranked Illinois in a game that was tightly contested until the final buzzer.
Sophomore guard Jeremy Fears led the way with 26 points and 15 assists, including nine points in overtime.