Michigan State senior guard Jaden Akins (3) sits on the bench during the game against the University of Oregon in the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on March. 14, 2025. Michigan State beats Oregon, securing their spot in the next round of the tournament.
Two weeks after their last meeting, Michigan State University basketball and Wisconsin face off again — this time, with a Big Ten Tournament Championship berth on the line.
Soon after No. 1 seed MSU eliminated No. 8 Oregon from the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, No. 5 seed Wisconsin wiped out No. 4 UCLA, 86-70, to set up the semifinal matchup and second meeting between the two teams since March 2.
In their last meeting, MSU secured a 71-62 win behind Jaden Akins’ hot first half and Jase Richardson’s late-game composure. The Badgers, who shot 35% from deep in the regular season, struggled mightily from three, making just five of 32 attempts.
The Badgers went 19-for-32 from beyond the arc against UCLA on Friday.
Wisconsin entered East Lansing as the Big Ten’s hottest team. After falling to the Spartans in a game with title implications, the Badgers won at Minnesota and lost at home on Senior Day to Penn State, 86-75. Wisconsin transfer forward John Tonje’s off-night at MSU took steam away from his case for Big Ten Player of the Year. Guard John Blackwell gave MSU the most trouble, scoring 17 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Tonje bounced back in the tournament, scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds in Wisconsin’s 70-63 win over Northwestern before dropping 26 in the quarterfinals against UCLA.
MSU’s 74-64 win over Oregon embodied the depth, defense and physicality that powered it to its first outright Big Ten title since 2018. The Spartans dominated the glass, defended relentlessly, and leaned on their balanced attack — four players hit double figures, six scored at least five, and 10 offensive rebounds led to 16 second-chance points.
Coen Carr put up 10 points and tied his career-high with eight rebounds, pouncing on the boards, including a couple that helped fuel a crucial MSU scoring run in the middle of the second half, locking MSU into a comfortable lead until the final buzzer. Jase Richardson finished with 17 points and three rebounds despite shooting just 4-for-13.
MSU and Wisconsin tip off at 1 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with CBS streaming the game.
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