Head coach Tom Izzo made another change to his starting five in this matchup to accommodate graduate student forward Malik Hall. Izzo said in his press conference earlier in the week that Hall was battling the flu, but the veteran player was still able to be an asset off the bench. Rather than starting another forward like Hall, Izzo started two centers in sophomore Carson Cooper and senior Mady Sissoko. 

Senior guard A.J. Hoggard also made his way back into the starting five this week alongside fellow guards junior Jaden Akins and graduate student Tyson Walker.

The Badgers won the tip and got the first points on the board via a three from Steven Crowl, but Sissoko hit the right back with a rebound and dunk. 

Wisconsin started off hot hitting all three of its shots from beyond the arc and keeping massive defensive pressure on MSU to go up 9-2 quickly. 

Much like many of the previous games this season, Michigan State started off painfully slow. In six minutes, the Spartans put up eight shots, but only one fell. 

Freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. broke MSU’s scoring drought by slicing through the defense and drawing a foul on his was to the basket for a classic three-point play to bring some life back into the green and white.

About a minute later, sophomore guard Tre Holloman finally sunk a three for the Spartans, cutting Wisconsin’s lead to five points.

But the Badgers responded in kind, building their lead back up slowly but surely to lead by twelve halfway through the first half.

With three minutes left, MSU was starting to work better together on both sides of the court stopping Wisconsin, moving the ball and making shots to bring them within five points yet again, but the Spartans were still not able to make it stick.

Michigan State played a sloppy first half that saw them going into the locker room down by 11. The Spartans shot 10-23 from the floor and a less than ideal 1-7 from three. 

The Badgers out-rebounded MSU 16-12 and sunk six three-point shots that heavily contributed to their 11-point advantage.  

Michigan State started off the second half stronger than the first, logging a defensive stop, a layup from Hoggard through traffic and a contested jumper from Walker. 

Just over six minutes into the second half, three-pointers started and continued falling for MSU, hitting 5-7 in just those few minutes. Walker went 3-3 and Hoggard went 2-2 to start the half, making the Spartans look like a completely different team. 

The major contributing factor in Wisconsin’s second half lead was the team’s ability to shoot free throws. The Badgers were 10-10 from the charity stripe with eight minutes left and the Spartans gave them plenty of opportunities to get there.

Midway through the second half, the Spartans slowed down, and gave Wisconsin yet another chance to build its lead with 12-2 run over nearly five minutes. 

Ultimately, the dominating Badger play at the boards that lead to them out rebounding the Spartans 36-22 gave Wisconsin the chance at 19 second chance points in comparison to Michigan State's eight.

Michigan State will go on the road next weekend against Nebraska on Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network.