Then, after what head coach Tom Izzo described as the best week of practice he could remember in the last 10 years, a completely different MSU team showed up Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa., and lost, 66-62, to Penn State.

At his weekly press conference Monday, Izzo couldn’t explain why his team was unable to translate its good practice habits into a game.

But Izzo said 7 p.m. Tuesday, when No. 20 Wisconsin comes to Breslin Center, is the perfect time for the Spartans (10-5 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) to prove Saturday was a fluke and that MSU still is a legitimate contender in the Big Ten conference.

“(I) can’t think of a better team to have to regroup against, because one thing about Wisconsin is Wisconsin doesn’t beat Wisconsin,” Izzo said. “We won’t get lucky to beat Wisconsin, we have to go out and beat them.”

Luck isn’t something Izzo has had much of against the Badgers (12-3, 2-1) during the last 10 years.

Since Bo Ryan came to Wisconsin as the head coach in 2001, Izzo is only 5-12 against the Badgers and never has won in the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

Although MSU’s struggles against Wisconsin might be discouraging, the competitiveness between the two teams has created one of the best rivalries in the conference.

“I just think it’s been real healthy for the Big Ten,” Ryan said of the rivalry during a conference call. “I think it’s just good for basketball and good for the league.”

Much like previous years, Izzo said there’s no secret to Wisconsin’s success this season, especially on the offensive end, where the Badgers don’t do anything fancy but continue to be one of the most efficient teams in the Big Ten.

“(Wisconsin) is not running much,” Izzo said. “They’re just running their offense, doing what they do, running their system and taking care of the ball.”

Unlike the Spartans, who are averaging 15.1 turnovers per game, the Badgers have turned the ball over only 8.1 times per contest this season, including 4.3 times in conference play.

Izzo said that ability to take care of the ball has a lot to do with the play of point guard Jordan Taylor, who is averaging 16.4 points and almost five assists.

“He is one of the good guards in our conference,” senior point guard Kalin Lucas said. “He is strong, he is physical, he does keep his dribble a lot and he is shooting the ball a lot better.”

Although Lucas likely will have his hands full on defense, it won’t be easy going for him on offense either.

The Badgers have the No. 1 scoring defense in the Big Ten at 55.2 points per game, and when Wisconsin beat MSU last season in Madison, Wisc., Lucas was held to seven points before leaving the game with an ankle injury midway through the second half.

Along with a healthy Lucas, the Spartans next biggest advantage will be coming back to Breslin Center to take on the Badgers, as the home team has won the last 10 meetings in the series.

MSU senior guard Durrell Summers described the home court advantage as “really important,” especially after learning Saturday how difficult it is to win on the road in the Big Ten.

And with Summers and the Spartans, who are unranked in the Associated Press Poll for the first time since 2007, still looking to win another conference championship, Summers said they need to use every advantage they get.

“We still are fighting to win that championship, so we have to knock off all the top teams,” Summers said. “And it would be a great start with Wisconsin.”