Senior guard Cassius Winston (right) drives on Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu (left). The Spartans defeated the Illini, 76-56, at the Breslin Student Events Center on January 2, 2020.
No. 15 Michigan State men's basketball (13-4, 5-1 Big Ten) seeks to maintain its outright first-place standing in conference play as they return home to battle streaking Wisconsin (11-6, 4-2 Big Ten) Friday at 7 p.m.
MSU shed its 5-3 start, beginning an eight-game tear en route to a 5-0 Big Ten standing before ceding a 71-42 loss to Purdue in West Lafayette, IN.
Wisconsin has won three of its last four contests, overcoming both No. 21 Ohio State and Penn State on the road, and defeating Maryland in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers’ only blunder in that stretch was a one-point loss to Illinois, with whom they share second place.
“I think they're playing as good as anybody in the league right now,” coach Tom Izzo said of Wisconsin. “The win they had at Penn State … Micah Potter was 1-for-5 in the five games he played, and he goes 4-for-6 from three. He looked like an NBA player, to be honest. He was hitting threes, he was putting the ball on the floor.”
Wisconsin forward Nate Reuvers averages 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds, while Ohio State transfer Micah Potter continued what he did best in Columbus, shooting 50% from three for 10.1 points per game on six rebounds.
Izzo expressed potential matchup concerns, saying the Badgers can “post up just about everybody.”
Game Info:
Michigan State -7.5, O/U 148.
Where to Watch: Fox Sports 1.
Where to listen: Spartan Sports Network.
Score Prediction
Jayna Bardahl: MSU 66, UW 59
Paolo Giannandrea: MSU 76, UW 66
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