The teams grappled back and forth for control of the game until Bingham gave MSU the lead for good with his run with eight minutes left, paving the way for Walker to be the closer again. 

MSU was in the position to pull away late thanks in large part to its stifling defense all night. MSU held Wisconsin to 36.7% shooting (22-60) and made life a living hell for Big Ten Player of the Year and sophomore Johnny Davis, who finished with 11 points on 19 attempted shots. 

The horrid shooting night overshadowed major contributions from senior guard Brad Davison and freshman guard Chucky Hepburn for the Badgers. The two starting guards combined for 34 points and made six of Wisconsin’s seven threes, but the shots were too few and far between for Wisconsin all night.

Early on though, both teams were trying to put a hole in the backboard with its errant shots. 

Both teams got off to a slow start out of the gates. MSU jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the first eight minutes due to its 50% shooting from the field early but struggled again with turnovers that gave Wisconsin extra possessions. The Badgers could not capitalize on the extra shots and started a dismal 3-15 (20%) from the field to fall behind early.

After the initial feeling-out period, both teams started to pick up the pace, but the shots continued to clank hard off the iron in Gainbridge Arena. MSU crawled out to a 14-6 lead halfway through the first half but a quick four-point flurry from Davison brought Wisconsin back within four. 

The bricks rained in as the stars struggled against the physical defense from both teams that defined the first half. For Wisconsin, Davis continued to hunt for his shot in the high post but could not find the bottom of the rim while being pushed from his spot. For MSU, the team’s most prolific scorers missed on easy opportunities and turnovers limited chances altogether.

Only two players were able to find their offensive footing in the first half: Davison for Wisconsin and junior center Julius Marble II for MSU. Davison finished the half with 10 points, 45% of Wisconsin’s first-half total while Marble finished with eight points, 33.3% of MSU’s first-half total.

MSU emerged from the slugfest in the first 20 minutes with a narrow 24-22 lead over the Badgers. The teams combined to shoot 14-50 (28%) and both teams failed to hit a three (0-11 combined). 

The sluggish play did not carry over in the first five minutes of the second half, however. Both teams looked refreshed and attacked the rim relentlessly. The teams combined to hit six of the first 13 shots in the half and Wisconsin sophomore forward Steven Crowl hit the game’s first three with 16:41 remaining to cut MSU’s lead to 30-29. 

The lead did not last long for the Spartans, who surrendered an old-fashioned three-point play to Davis on the next possession to give the Badgers a two-point lead, its first lead of the game. MSU answered quickly with a layup of its own and the teams entered a headlock with 15 minutes remaining. 

MSU was the team to start taking control in the final 10 minutes. Trailing 42-40, MSU decided to attack the rim in a more direct approach. Sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard looked for Bingham directly on back-to-back possessions for an alley-oop then Bingham collected an offensive rebound for a putback, sparking a 7-0 personal run from the senior center to give MSU a five-point lead. 

Wisconsin answered with a quick layup to cut it to three, but Wisconsin native and redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser delivered with MSU’s first three of the game to push the lead back to six with 7:17 left. 

MSU continued to hit shots to try to extend its lead, but Davison did everything in his power to keep the Badgers within immediate striking distance. Davison ended MSU’s 12-2 run with a pair of threes to keep Wisconsin at a six-point deficit entering the final five minutes. 

The Badgers whittled the lead down to 56-55, MSU with 2:30 left after a pair of free throws from Davis. Wisconsin tied the game on the following possession following another bucket from Bingham with a Hepburn three with 1:45 left. 

Walker then made his mark in the final 90 seconds after only scoring two points in the first 38 and a half minutes. The junior point guard continued the late-season trend of being the team’s savior and sank two mid-range jumpers to give MSU a four-point lead with 50 seconds remaining. 

The win moves Michigan State into the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament where it awaits the winner of Penn State and Purdue.