D'Mitrik Trice's 29 points Lead No.9 Wisconsin Over No.12 Michigan State

Christmas 2020 will be one to remember for the University of Wisconsin.

In a game that featured 10 ties and seven lead changes, the ninth-ranked Badgers delivered an 85-76 victory over No.12 Michigan State for the program’s first win in East Lansing since 2004, ending a 12-game losing streak.

Pushing its conference winning streak to 10 games, Wisconsin (8-1, 2-0) closed the game by making seven of its final nine shots, putting three players in double figures and scoring the most points it had on the road in the series since 1976.

We take a closer look at the game with the BadgerBlitz Stat Pack.

- With his family in attendance, including older brother Travis (a former Spartans guard), D’Mitrik Trice was a huge scoring catalyst. The Badgers senior finished with a season-high 29 points that included 18 in the second half (only one other player had more than four points in the second half).

- Wisconsin used the “season of giving” literally, turning the ball over on its first four possessions and doing so in a variety of ways (Micah Potter stepping on the end line, Nate Reuvers not being strong in the low post, Trice’s entry pass getting blocked and a shot-clock violation). In the final 61 possessions, however, the Badgers only turned the ball over three times.

- Wisconsin shot 51.9 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent in the second half, 42.1 percent from the 3-point line and went 23-for-30 from the free throw line.

- After not being able to attempt a shot for three minutes, the Badgers suddenly couldn’t miss. Wisconsin made its first five shots with Aleem Ford being the catalyst. Making UW’s first shot at the 17:07 mark, Ford went on a personal 7-0 run over a three-possession stretch that lasted 35 seconds. A slow starter as of late, Ford had 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the first half.

- It’s been challenging for Wisconsin the last handful of seasons to sustain its offense against the length of Michigan State, but the Badgers’ defense again sparked its offense with turnovers. The Spartans shot 58.6 percent in the first half, but Wisconsin scored 14 points off MSU’s seven turnovers to get some points in transition.

- UW got the quality looks to start the second half, but the production waned. The Badgers missed their first five shots out of the locker room, including three open looks from the perimeter. Michigan State got things started on the right foot with a 9-0 run, which began with a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound. The 9-point lead was the largest of the game for either team.

- Staring at the growing deficit, Trice took over on a prolonged scoring run by registering the Badgers’ first 13 points of the second half in a variety of ways. He hit a pair of 3-pointers, made a four-point play, delivered with aggressive drives to the right block and went 3-for-3 from the free throw line. His assault helped the Badgers draw the game back to even with 13:45 remaining.

- When Trice needed a rest, Reuvers finally found his shooting touch. Missing his first three shots from the floor, Reuvers scored seven straight that included a pair of turnaround jumpers to build a 5-point lead that was the largest of the game.

- Brad Davison scored 11 points but his biggest play might have been drawing a charge underneath the basket on forward Aaron Henry. Instead of a two-point game with 3:10 remaining, Davison’s fourth charge of the season gave the ball back to Wisconsin with a 73-69 lead.

- Davison’s charge was one example of Wisconsin tightening up defensively in the second half. The Spartans started the second half 3-for-6 with five points off two offensive rebounds. After that point, UW’s defense held them to 7-for-22, four offensive rebounds and three second-chance points.

- After building momentum with perimeter shots, Wisconsin finished the game in the paint. The Badgers scored 10 of their final 12 points in the paint. The most impressive came with Ford made a blind flip to Trice as he fell out of bounds. Trice found a wide-open Davis on the far end of the floor, who pump faked for the post bucket to give UW a 77-69 lead – the biggest of the game.

- It got a little dicey, but the Badgers clinched the game from the free throw line. In the bonus for the final 8:08, the Badgers were 14-for-18 from the free throw line.

- Stevens Point native Joey Hauser was held to five points in Sunday’s loss at Northwestern and dealt with a gimpy knee earlier this week. He was fully healed Friday. Hauser didn’t miss a shot until 8:29 remained and finished with a career-high 27 points. However, the Badgers limited the rest of the roster with only Henry (12) scoring more than eight points.

- Wisconsin returns to the court Monday with a home game against Maryland.