Then No. 8 Badgers (28-4) guard Michael Flowers stole the show when he deflected an MSU pass intended for senior guard Drew Neitzel’s hands and took it the length of the floor to score the game-winning layup with 27 seconds remaining.

“I told them I was proud of them and that there were a couple guys who didn’t play as well as they need to play to win a big game, but I told them the same thing I always tell them, make sure you control the things you can control,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “And the things you can’t control — do the best you can.”

The Green and White ended up getting one last chance to tie or go for the win after Badgers guard Jason Bohannon bricked two free throws, as Neitzel fired up a 3-pointer in traffic that hit nothing but iron with two seconds remaining.

“We just got the rebound and I tried to push it up and I saw an opening, so I pulled up,” said Neitzel, who finished with a game-high 26 points. “I just missed it … I didn’t want to get it blocked, I wanted it to have a chance to go in, but (Wisconsin center Brian Butch) made a good play on the ball.”

The Badgers were whistled for 11 fewer fouls than MSU, but Badgers head coach Bo Ryan said the outcome came down to one thing.

“MSU gave us everything they had,” said Ryan, who is now 11-3 against Izzo. “It was an extremely physical and tough game, but in the end, our guys just managed to get one more possession … This game was 40 minutes of basketball and we’re one possession better.”

Freshman guard Kalin Lucas chipped in with 18 points of his own while Badgers’ Butch and forward Marcus Landry tallied 19 and 18, respectively, to lead Wisconsin.

“(We were) just following our rules, forcing (Neitzel) one way, getting over the screens and making sure if he caught the ball, that he did it 35 feet away from the basket,” Flowers said. “That kind of disrupted the flow of their offense and that was to our benefit.”

Leading 30-29, the Spartans began to create some separation from the Badgers when Neitzel knocked down a 3-pointer with 16:55 left in the second half.

The basket began a 9-0 run, which included a Ryan technical foul at the 15:46 mark.

Then things turned ugly for MSU, as junior centers Idong Ibok and Goran Suton as well as senior center Drew Naymick all fouled out in a 54-second span, starting at 6:06 — the Badgers then sunk six free throws and Butch knocked down a 3-pointer to make the score 55-54 with 4:34 to play.

From the very start of the game, Neitzel showed the Badgers his Friday magic didn’t vanish by burying three of his first five shots, tallying 11 points in the first 10:46 and 15 in the half.

The Spartans took a 29-27 lead into the locker room at the break, despite 14 team fouls, 12 of which came from MSU’s big men — which forced Izzo to play a much smaller lineup.

The Badgers shot 18 first-half free throws, compared to MSU’s six, and outrebounded the Spartans 20-15, and 36-31 overall.

Butch led his team with nine points in the first 20 minutes.

“I feel for the players, I feel for our fans and I’ve been through it before,” Izzo said while fighting off tears after the game.