If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best.
And right now, that title goes to Wisconsin, which on Monday claimed a No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history and tonight invades Breslin Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
The Badgers (26-2 overall, 12-1 Big Ten) are as good as their ranking would indicate — they're experienced, talented and run a sophisticated flex offense that has given a lot of teams — MSU included — fits. They're also exactly the marquee opponent that could put an exclamation mark on the Spartans' solid but still unspectacular tournament pitch.
"This could be a huge win for us," junior guard Drew Neitzel said.
Easier said than done.
As MSU aims its slingshot toward Goliath, the first thing it sees is Alando Tucker, the Badgers' leading scorer and a legitimate National Player of the Year candidate. The 6-foot-6 small forward has a shooting guard's quickness, a power forward's strength and a heat-seeking missile's knack for contact.
"He's a hard player to explain," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference, finally settling on the Dallas Mavericks' Josh Howard as the closest comparison.
"He has that ability to take one dribble and cover what seems like 10 feet. You don't face many guys like Tucker who can do so many things, put it on the floor so well and find a way to get a shot off. He's as good as there is in the country at that."
Unfortunately, the Spartan most capable of defending Tucker won't be anywhere near Breslin Center tonight. That would be Matt Trannon, who's preparing for this weekend's NFL Draft Scouting Combine.
"He's the kind of guy you need — strong, athletic, very intelligent," Izzo said of Trannon. "That's the one guy who could have a chance."
The brunt of the assignment instead will fall to freshman forward Raymar Morgan, with plenty of others ready to help. But the Spartans know they can't be too quick to collapse on Tucker — not with the Big Ten's most seasoned supporting cast around him.
The Badgers have started the same lineup of upperclassmen for all 28 games — seniors Tucker, Jason Chappell and Kammron Taylor, and juniors Brian Butch and Michael Flowers. This quintet has a combined 21 seasons of experience, about twice as many as MSU's likely starters will have. Throw in several solid role players off the bench, and the Badgers have been able to withstand many other teams' best punches this season.
"Their depth is so good, they wear teams down," Izzo said. "It's hard to look at any one thing with them and say you can exploit it."
Except, maybe, a well-placed stone to the forehead.
