Wisconsin Braces for Michigan State
Davis, No. 8 Badgers Seek Eighth Consecutive Win vs. Visiting Spartans
Expect to see plenty of Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis, the top scorer in Big Ten play, and Brad Davison of Wisconsin in Friday’s game vs. Michigan State in a matchup of top-15 ranked teams. In conference play, Davis is third and Davison seventh in terms of minutes played per game.
In nine of the last 10 meeting when Wisconsin played host to Michigan State, the game was decided by eight points or less, including five matchups determined by no more than three points.
No. 8 Wisconsin won the last two games against the Spartans and covered against the college basketball spreads in each one. Michigan State won the previous eight meetings
It is no wonder that the two teams rank first and second in the conference in scoring margin.
No. 14 Michigan State has won all three of its true road games while Wisconsin is 8-1 at home.
Wisconsin (+350) and Michigan State (+650) have the third and fourth-best odds to win the Big Ten title. When it comes to the odds to reach the Final Four, Wisconsin (+1100) and Michigan State (+1200) are both in the top 20.
Davis (+500) has the best odds to win the national player of the year award. Averaging 22.1 points and 7.5 rebounds, Davis has scored in double figures in every game and has at least 20 points in 10 of his last 13 contests.
- Game: Michigan State (14-3) at Wisconsin (15-2)
- Location: Kohl Center, Madison, Wisconsin
- Day/Time: Friday, 9 p.m. ET
- Television: FS1
Michigan State Spartans at Wisconsin Badgers
Next Step for MSU: Rebound the Basketball
The Michigan State Spartans have done a lot of things well. Obviously, a team isn’t half-game out of first place in the always challenging Big Ten Conference and doesn’t spend part of the time in the top 10 in the national polls by accident.
However, the to-do list for the Spartans should be pretty short and to the point heading into Friday’s huge showdown with Wisconsin.
Michigan State has allowed 29 offensive rebounds In the last two games. It nearly caught up to the Spartann in a narrow win over Minnesota and proved costly as visiting Northwestern handed the them their first conference loss.
For those scoring at home, there have been 11 games when Michigan State has corralled at least 10 offensive rebounds. Some of that has to do with opportunity as the Spartans are holding teams to 39 percent shooting, but continuing to give teams extra possessions is a recipe for disaster.
Michigan State allowed a season-high 15 offensive boards the first time it played Northwestern on Jan. 2. Thirteen days later. the Wildcats pulled down 17 offensive boards. Northwestern was plus-6 in second-chance points in a two-point win so it’s not too hard to do the math on that. The 17 turnovers didn’t help Michigan State’s cause, either.
“I’ve been telling you guys we’ve been struggling defensively, and it’s just because we’re not playing as hard,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said after the loss. “In my mind, it’s been lost since Christmas. We’ve got a good team, we got good guys, but I think they’re reading their press clippings, and thinking they’re better than they are, that they’re gonna reinvent the way to win. My staff and I did not do a very good job of making sure that that didn’t happen.”
If there is a possible silver lining, it is that Wisconsin ranks 12th out of 14 conference teams in rebounding margin.
Something to consider for those who bet online: Michigan State has covered in 13 of its last 20 games against Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Giving Davis Some Offensive Support
If we didn’t know any better, it would seem as if the New Year’s resolution for Wisconsin was to avoid being a one-man show.
Davis is a spectacular player. If the season ended right now, he could very well be the national player of the year, but championships aren’t won with one-man shows.
That was never more evident than in Wisconsin’s last game, when all five starters scored in double figures in a win against an underrated Northwestern team for the Badgers’ seventh win a row. That is the longest active winning streak in the Big Ten.
It is not just a one-night trend.
Davis has been getting more help since the start of 2022. Look no further than senior guard Davison and junior forward Tyler Wahl. Both players were putting up pretty good numbers in November and December, combining for 23.4 points per game, but those numbers have jumped to 31.8 points in five January contests.
Wahl suffered an ankle injury against Northwestern but said he intends to play on Friday.
UW’s Tyler Wahl, who suffered an ugly ankle injury in the victory over Northwestern, intends to play Friday against Michigan State https://t.co/Gw05n61nFZ
— Journal Sentinel (@journalsentinel) January 20, 2022
It isn’t as much about more chances for the Nos. 2 and 3 scorers on the team as it is taking advantage of their opportunities. Davison and Wahl combined to shoot 40 percent through 12 games, but have upped that number to nearly 57 percent, helping Wisconsin move into a tie with Illinois atop the Big Ten standings.
Fellow starters Chucky Hepburn and Steven Crowl combined for 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Three of Hepburn’s points came on a 60-foot heave at end of the first half.
Wisconsin has covered against the Las Vegas odds in its last five games.
Michigan State Needs to Limit Turnovers
Wisconsin is third in the Big Ten in turnover margin. The Badgers’ mark of 8.3 turnovers per game is the best in the conference. Michigan State commits more turnovers (14.5) than any other conference team so that will be a key to this game.
The total has gone under in five of the last seven games between the schools and it won’t be a surprise to see the game head that way even if six of Michigan State’s last eight games finished over the total.
This has the feel of a typical down-to-the-wire affair between a pair of top-15 teams with a history of tight games. The line opened at 4½ but with money coming in on Michigan State to cover and perhaps even win the game, it has dropped to three. It won’t be surprising to see Wisconsin win the game, but Michigan State should be able to stay close.
