MADISON — Early in the Badgers’ wire-to-wire victory over Michigan State, AJ Storr was called for a shooting foul on a mid range attempt from AJ Hoggard. Storr was visibly fired up about the call, refusing a high-five from teammate Max Klesmit and shaking his head repeatedly while Hoggard shot free throws.

However unintentionally it may have been, the bear had been poked. And he was hungry.

The next two possessions, Storr scored an easy layup on a dime from Chucky Hepburn, and then drained a cold-blooded deep three from the top of the key with a hand in his face.

“Storr hit the one from downtown early, that kinda changes some things,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said after the game.

Indeed it did. It was a harbinger of things to come for the sophomore, who finished the night with 28 points, a bucket shy of a career high.

Storr has now scored 50 points in two games against Michigan State, helping the Badgers sweep the Spartans for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.

“Really just playing off my bigs,” Storr said when asked about his success against Michigan State this season. “They like to double the post a lot, so it leaves me open to either catch and shoot or make a quick drive to the basket.”

Storr hasn’t shot the ball from deep with particular efficiency this season — he’s only hitting 31.6 percent of his shots from long range. His 3-for-8 showing from downtown against the Spartans, however, was more than enough to accentuate his barrage of scoring.

It’s not just the points for Storr, it’s the confidence. When he shoots like he believes he can score from anywhere on the court, he probably can. And that’s a dangerous weapon for Wisconsin.

“Obviously AJ, the basket looked like the ocean to him,” head coach Greg Gard quipped.

When Storr came to Wisconsin, he was raw. A slasher with a natural shot and athletic ability off the charts. Still, he needed to learn how to play in a system, how to play controlled. His teammates and coaches have raved about the progress he’s made in those departments as the season has unfolded. But nights like Friday remind why he’s here in the first place — he can flat-out score.

“He knows where the basket is,” Gard said with a smile. “Finding the basket is not a weakness of his…Quite frankly, I don’t know if I called much for him tonight. He kind of got it organically.”

Storr’s bag is deep and only getting deeper. For an incoming transfer lauded mainly as an athletic sparkplug who could shoot the three ball, his game is awfully well-rounded.

“He can shoot it from distance, he’s got a great first step, he’s got great athletic ability, he’s got length, handles the ball pretty well and he doesn’t miss free throws,” Izzo said. “So uh, that’s a lot of pluses.”

Storr’s 28 points carried Wisconsin to its second comfortable win over Michigan State this season, which is relatively unheard of in this conference. But at this point, everyone knows Storr can score; what made this performance special was the improved efficiency with which the guard played.

In the previous four games, Storr comfortably hit double figures in each but shot the ball with poor efficiency, a combined 38 percent from the floor. Against the Spartans, he hit 53 percent of his shots.

“He took better shots tonight. He got to the free throw line early, which is always key to help you get in rhythm, start feeling good about the ball coming off your hands. He was aggressive, attacked when he needed to,” Gard said.

Storr’s combination of three-point shooting and slashing is a handful when he’s feeling himself. He’s a good enough sharpshooter to make defenders respect the three, and good enough off the bounce to drive to the rim with relative ease should defenders overplay their hand on the perimeter. Friday night, Storr hit some NBA-range threes.

“It opens me up more, defenders have to press up on me more if I’m hitting them, and that gives me more space to go downhill,” he said.

If Storr can play with the same aggressiveness and scoring ability while shooting efficiently from the field, the Badgers’ dynamic offense could find yet another gear.

“He’s hard to guard. When he’s shooting like this,” Izzo trailed off. “I’ve seen a lot of really good players in this league and I’ve had a lot of really good players in this league…He’s one of the better players I’ve seen here. He really is.”

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