(UW ATHLETICS) – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team looks to knock off its second top-10 team this week, taking on No. 10 Michigan State on Friday at the Kohl Center.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Tuesday’s overtime win over Illinoi marked UW’s second top-10 road win of the season, along with a 91-88 victory at No. 2 Michigan on Jan. 10. Wisconsin and Illinois are the only schools in the country with multiple top-10 road wins, being two-of-seven schools with multiple top-10 wins overall this season. The Badgers also improved to 37th in the NET, and 7-7 against Quadrant 1 and 2 opponents. Including Friday’s upcoming contest, the Badgers have five remaining games against Quadrant 1 opponents (MSU, at Ohio State, at Washington, Iowa, at Purdue).
What about the Spartans?
The Badgers and Spartans have enjoyed a back-and-forth rivalry this decade, with UW going 5-4 over MSU since the 2020-2021 season. They split the honors last season, with Michigan State taking a regular season contest, 71-62, in East Lansing, before Wisconsin beat MSU in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, 77-74. John Tonje poured in a game-high 32 points, while John Blackwell had 14, to propel UW to the championship game.
Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) is tied for third in the Big Ten standings, one game ahead of the Badgers. They’re also coming off an overtime win over Illinois, beating the Illini 85-82 last Saturday at home. It was MSU’s first ranked win of Big Ten play, coming off the heels of a 76-73 defeat at Minnesota just three days prior. Sophomore point guard Jeremy Fears leads the Spartans with 15.1 points per game. UW will look to thwart his playmaking as he averages 9.1 assists per game.
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