MADISON, Wis. - They may go to rival schools, but somehow Wisconsin's Traevon Jackson and Michigan State's Travis Trice have managed not to be rivals themselves. Their summer workouts together created a strong, close friendship, build on trust, support, and faith.

Growing up 85 miles from one another - Jackson in Westerville, Ohio and Trice in Dayton, Ohio - each had aspirations of being not just the best point guard in their hometowns or home state, but being the best point guard in the country.

In fifth grade, the two faced off against one another on the AAU circuit, but never really connected more than the hand-shaking line after each game. Six years later, Jackson's AAU team, All Ohio Red, won the national championship. The following year, Trice joined the squad.

"It didn't go well," Jackson said with a smile on his face. "After we won the championship we just wanted to bring in so many new talented guys and it just didn't work. But Travis and I got along well."

As two of the best guards in the state, Jackson and Trice competed for numerous awards during their senior season of high school and ended up going to bitter Big Ten rivals in Wisconsin and Michigan State.

The two remained in touch, but did not become close until a few years later.

"It was our faith that brought us together," Trice said. "I started working out with the group he worked out with, called In God's Image. That's where we formed that bond and found out that there's someone else out there that's like us that's trying to do the same thing we're doing."

"He started coming to workout with us my sophomore year and would drive every morning from about an hour away in Dayton for our workouts that started at like 6 a.m. He would wake up at 4 a.m. and we would workout and then hangout all day," Jackson explained. "We just grew close."

Jackson and Trice became so close in fact that the two rarely miss watching each other on television, and are frequently texting each other even before or after a Wisconsin vs. Michigan State game.

When the two teams met at the Kohl Center in February of last season, Jackson hit a pull-up jumper to give the Badgers a 60-58 lead with 2.1 seconds left.

"It's funny because I hit the shot and I turned around and started walking," Jackson remembered. "I was thinking to myself, 'anybody gets the ball but him…'"

The ball was inbounded to Trice, who then launched a three-quarter court shot that hit the backboard.

"He gets the ball and I thought it was in," Jackson said. "I thought the Lord was going to bless him and make it go in. It didn't go in."

The friendship between the two was so close at that point that Trice himself remembers being in the locker room after that game upset that his team lost, but happy on the inside for Jackson.

"After the game part of me is mad and frustrated with this loss and the other part is happy for him because he hit a big shot," Trice said. "He's like my brother. There's no resentment at all."

Later, in the Big Ten Tournament, the tables were turned. Trice and the Spartans defeated Jackson and the Badgers 83-75 in the semifinals, with Trice's 11 points outdueling Jackson's 10.

"I was upset, don't get me wrong, but I was happy for him." Jackson said. "Just seeing how things were going, I knew it would help (Michigan State) get to the Final Four so we could meet them there."

And that was what the two Ohio natives told each other, to keep up the good work and that they would be seeing each other in Dallas later on down the road. When the NCAA Tournament brackets came out, Jackson and the Badgers were placed on the opposite side as Trice and the Spartans.

With both teams in the Elite 8, Jackson and Trice were texting each other the night before saying that they would do what they set out to do and see each other in the Final Four. When Trice and the Spartans lost to the eventual NCAA Champion UConn Huskies and Jackson's Badgers defeated Arizona, there was mixed emotions on both sides.

"When they lost (to UConn) it was tough because I was expecting to see him (in the Final Four)," Jackson said. "I told him to never stop believing, regardless of what happens. (Michigan State) was on such a good roll last year that it was a surprise when they lost."

After the Final Four, Jackson and Trice both went back home for the summer to reconnect. Jackson told Trice all about the experience and gave him pointers on what to expect in the future. With Trice having never played in a Final Four, Jackson's experience added extra motivation for the upcoming season.

"It was a good eye-opener for me, getting to know some of the behind-the-scenes things that I wouldn't know unless he was there," Trice said of Jackson's Final Four experience. "All it did was add extra incentive for this year."

This summer the two worked tirelessly on the court, with Trice trying to replicate Jackson's strength, ball handling, and ability to create space, and Jackson trying to imitate Trice's "canon" of a shot that he can "pull off from almost anywhere."

But when the two put the ball down, they continued to work on their game; just in a different fashion.

Jackson and Trice hung out nearly everyday this summer and when they weren't in the gym, they went to bible study.

"Just walking and living this life how it's supposed to be lived," Jackson said of what he learned this summer. "We spent a lot of time not only being on the court but also thinking about 'what does that mean in terms of this life?' Trust, and trust in the Lord … and all of that other stuff - stuff on the court - will come."

Although there is just one scheduled meeting between Wisconsin and Michigan State this season, Jackson and Trice are both hoping for a second meeting to take place in Indianapolis at this year's Final Four.