Preview: Wisconsin begins postseason play against MSU in quarterfinal tilt
No. 12 Wisconsin (24-6, 15-5) vs. Michigan State (21-11, 11-9)
Game: Friday, March 11 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
Time: 5:30 P.M. CT
Watch: BTN (Brandon Gaudin and Robbie Hummel)
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Prediction: Wisconsin 73, Michigan State 68
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Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
PRE-GAME NOTES
Following a successful regular season, No. 12 Wisconsin begins postseason play Friday night with a quarterfinal bout against Michigan State. The two schools split the regular season series with each road team notching a win.
Tom Izzo's bunch, the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, advanced with a win Thursday evening over Maryland. MSU looked like the early season version of itself with 43 points in the first half. Leading scorer Gabe Brown, who averaged 6.6 points over his last 10 games, recorded 13, and freshman Max Christie guided the team with 16 points.
Michigan State's balance was on display with five players totaling at least nine points in the victory. While multiple guys pose a threat on the offensive end, the Spartans offense can fall flat at times due to a lack of a primary option. Christie has become a reliable option to get deep into the paint and Malik Hall has been a catalyst off the bench. Hall averaged 13.0 points per contest in the two meetings and led MSU in the team's 86-74 win on Jan. 21.
Wisconsin has sped the tempo up more than usual this season but will likely have to play at a more traditional, methodical pace to keep Michigan State from running and getting out in transition. The ability to take advantage of the turnover battle will play a role as well, as MSU is last in the conference averaging 13.5 turnovers a game; Wisconsin leads the Big Ten with 8.6 per contest.
Sophomore Johnny Davis has enjoyed two of his best games when matched up against Michigan State. Davis totaled 50 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the two regular season meetings. But his health is still an uncertainty after he suffered a sprained ankle in the regular season finale against Nebraska.
“I’m feeling fine now. There’s a lot of time left until the Big Ten Tournament, but I’m just going to take it one day at a time, and I should be good to go," Davis said on the Big Ten network Tuesday after being named the conference player of the year.
Davis did not return to the game against Nebraska but tabbed the tweak as "nothing serious at all."
Wisconsin is 4-6 all-time against Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament. With a win Friday night, UW will face the winner of No. 11 Penn State and No. 3 Purdue Saturday evening at approximately 2:30 CT.
| Pos. | Wisconsin | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Chucky Hepburn (Fr.) |
6-2, 211 |
8.1 |
2.0 |
2.3 |
|
G |
Brad Davison (Sr.) |
6-4, 200 |
14.2 |
4.1 |
1.9 |
|
W |
Jonathan Davis (So.) |
6-5, 194 |
20.0 |
8.1 |
2.2 |
|
F |
Tyler Wahl (Jr.) |
6-9, 221 |
11.6 |
5.8 |
1.6 |
|
F |
Steven Crowl (So.) |
7-0, 234 |
9.1 |
4.6 |
1.5 |
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| Pos. | Michigan State | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Tyson Walker (Jr.) |
6-0, 175 |
8.3 |
1.4 |
4.4 |
|
G |
Max Christie (Fr.) |
6-6, 190 |
9.3 |
3.4 |
1.5 |
|
F |
Gabe Brown (Sr.) |
6-8, 215 |
11.5 |
3.9 |
1.2 |
|
F |
Joey Hauser (Sr) |
6-9, 230 |
7.0 |
5.3 |
1.7 |
|
C |
Marcus Bigham Jr. (Sr.) |
7-0, 230 |
8.9 |
6.0 |
0.3 |
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