With an opportunity for a Big Ten championship in the balance, the No. 10 MSU men’s basketball team knows there’s still plenty to play for. But if the team wants a shot to repeat as conference champions, they’ll first need to take a shot at fellow contender No. 22 Wisconsin.
After one half of play, the Spartans (22-7 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) lead the Badgers (20-9, 11-5) 25-18 in the middle of a primetime game at Breslin Center.
It was a relatively balanced scoring effort in the first half, as the Spartans were led by five points apiece from senior center Derrick Nix and juniors guard Keith Appling and center Adreian Payne. Seven of the nine Spartans that saw playing time registered points in the first half.
Nix scooped up a rebound in the post and found an open layup under the basket to get the game rolling.
The teams traded shots in the opening minutes, staying within a small margin across the midway point of the half.
A long range jumper and a free throw by Payne put the Spartans up by five points with about five minutes to play in the half.
After 17 straight misses from beyond the arc, Appling hit a crucial 3-pointer to expand the Spartans a 20-12 lead — its largest lead of the evening thus far.
Wisconsin clawed back with a layup by Jared Berggren to shrink the deficit to four.
However, sophomore guard Travis Trice hit a clutch 3-pointer as time expired to send MSU into the locker room with the momentum.
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