1:00 pm
March 16

#19 Wisconsin v. #6 Michigan State

Who will WIN this matchup?

#19 Wisconsin Badgers (23-9)

#6 Michigan State Spartans (26-6)

 

Current odds:

Wisconsin Badgers: (+200)

Michigan State Spartans: (-250)

 

• The spread for the game is Michigan State by 5.5 points.

• With Winston getting a lot of defensive pressure, Izzo has worried about his floor leader wearing down, especially in tournament play with games being played on successive days. That’s why Friday’s offensive eruption by freshman point guard Foster Loyer — a career-high 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range — was big for the Spartans, allowing Izzo to play Winston well below his average of 33.2 minutes per contest. Loyer showed a confidence that he hasn’t had much in his first collegiate season, but Izzo felt comfortable enough to play the freshman a career-best 18 minutes and will likely try to get him on the floor more often the rest of the postseason.

• While the Badgers have relied on their top three scorers — Happ, Trice and Davison — for much of the season, the team’s role players who came through in a big way against Nebraska, giving coach Greg Gard a scoring boost when the team needed it most. Senior forward Khalil Iverson and sophomore forward Nate Reuvers each scored 14 points, while sophomore forward Aleem Ford added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. That will be the kind of depth the team will need against a Michigan State team that held the Badgers to 21 second-half points in their only other meeting this season. Wisconsin finished 6-of-20 from 3-point range in that 67-59 loss, allowing the Spartans to pack in their defense to focus on Happ, forcing him into six turnovers in the Badgers’ only loss in their final seven home games.

• Over the last six seasons, Wisconsin has gone 30-9 (76.9 percent) in the month of March, the best winning percentage among Big Ten teams.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#6 Michigan State Spartans
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