The game featured late-game heroics from senior center Adreian Payne and junior guard Travis Trice, who helped MSU (20-4 overall, 9-2 Big Ten) go on a 5-0 run in 20 seconds to tie the game at 58 with 10 seconds remaining. However, Jackson’s shot swished right through the basket, and a desperation half-court shot by Trice rattled out as the buzzer sounded.

“It sucks because in practice all the time just being in the gym and messing around, I hit that shot all the time,” Trice said. “Seeing it go out like that it kind of hurts.”

The loss sinks MSU into a tie with Michigan for first place in the Big Ten.

For the better part of the game, it seemed like Payne and Trice were the only Spartans to get the memo that there was a game at Kohl Center. Payne led the game in scoring with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Trice filled in with 13 of his own in place of injured senior guard Keith Appling.

It was probably the worst game sophomore guard Gary Harris had played in his entire life, as he went 3-of-20 from the field and scored six points. Two of those made shots came from dunks in a second-half run by MSU, which had Josh Gasser— the Badger assigned to guard Harris — thinking he would catch fire.

“I was kind of thinking to myself ‘Uh-oh, he’s going to get going now,’” Gasser said. “I just tried to force him to my help, and my guys did a good job of helping me out with some tough shots.”

Harris’ lone made jump shot came with 23 seconds left in the game, but other than that he couldn’t buy a basket with a blank check. As the media entered the locker room after the game, Harris had a blank stare, looking like he couldn’t believe the stat line he posted.

“I really don’t have much to say other than I played horrible,” Harris said. “I couldn’t have played any worse.”

What also hurt MSU was a rocky ending at the end of the first half. Wisconsin’s 11-0 run and having Payne sitting on the bench exhausted allowed the Badgers (19-5, 6-5) to take an eight-point lead at the break.

Without Payne, the Spartans had to play small as sophomore Matt Costello and freshman Gavin Schilling committed two fouls each less than five minutes into the game.

“It really hurt when Adreian got tired,” Izzo said. “I didn’t want to put him in with two minutes left because the way (the referees) were calling it, I didn’t trust anybody.”

The Spartans kicked off the second half with a 9-2 run to get within one point of Wisconsin.

The Badgers then went on a 11-2 run of their own to go up 43-33. Their run was broken up by an and-one layup by Payne, who shot MSU’s first free throw of the game with 12:33 left on the clock.

With four minutes left to go, Trice hit an and-one layup to bring the margin to four points. Wisconsin’s Ben Brust nailed a 3-pointer to go up 55-48 on the following possession, but MSU was still in shooting range.

Trice made a 3-pointer to bring the game to 55-52, and the Spartans got the ball back with Payne on the line. He missed the free throw, but sophomore guard Denzel Valentine got the rebound to give MSU another chance.

One free throw was made, but Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to go up five points.

“He got a look, got a little separation, and we all know Frank’s a great shooter and was going to put that in,” Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker said.

MSU wasn’t leaving without a fight. The Spartans fouled Brust to send him to the line, but the 93 percent free throw shooter missed it to allow Payne to come back and hit a 3-pointer to tie the game.

But Jackson broke MSU’s hearts as he hit the game-winner to finish with seven points.