No. 23 Wisconsin (6-2) vs. Michigan State (4-3)

Game: Tuesday, Dec. 5 in the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI

Time: 6:00 P.M. CT

Watch: Peacock

Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio

Prediction: Michigan State 67, Wisconsin 63

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Michigan State -5.5 (according to ESPN BET)

Wisconsin is entering its game against Michigan State coming off of their biggest win of the season against previous No. 3 Marquette.

They ended the first half with a 46-33 lead, mostly due to Max Klesmit playing the best 20 minutes of his life. He scored all 21 of his points in the opening period, also shooting 5-8 from long range. This was after entering Saturday with 26 points combined over his last six games.

“Off to a hot start like that? It’s been a while,” Klesmit said after the game. “Maybe even back to high school? It’s fun to be out there with these guys.”

The Badgers also played one of their best defensive halves of the season. Marquette had two separate stretches of over three minutes where they failed to score a single point.

The Golden Eagles shaped up in the second half, but were never able to maintain any sort of control in the game.

They ultimately failed to keep up with Wisconsin’s size. Marquette lost the rebound battle 38-23, along with an 18-2 deficit in second-chance points.

Despite Klesmit’s electric first half, Steven Crowl had perhaps the best all-around performance. His 16 points tied his season high, and also led the Badgers with eight rebounds. Crowl, along with fellow longtime starters Tyler Wahl and Chucky Hepburn, finished with 21 combined rebounds. The 7-footer is now averaging 11.5 points while making a superb 63% of his field goals.

Wisconsin could’ve ultimately carried their first half lead into the second, but their bench truly failed to show up for the first time this season. John Blackwell was the only reserve to score, and only finished with six points. It’s a miracle that they were able to win at all without contributions from their bench, yet it’s not sustainable.

The Badgers will play their first Big Ten team of the season on Tuesday evening, traveling to East Lansing to face Michigan State.

The Spartans entered the season with plenty of hype, coming in at No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. An opening-night loss to James Madison knocked them down to No. 18, and they’ve completely fallen out since losing to Duke and Arizona, both top-10 teams at the time.

Despite those three losses, their four wins have come by an average of 26.5 points, yet Butler is the only notable opponent they’ve beaten. Their other three wins have come against teams who are collectively 3-22.

Leading the charge for Michigan State has been fifth-year senior Tyson Walker, who’s second in the Big Ten in scoring at 20.5 points per game. He hasn’t made shots as efficiently as of late, scoring 31 total points on 14-34 shooting over his past two games. Yet he’s still the best scorer the Badgers have faced all season, and perhaps even the best player.

Another strong defensive performance from the Badgers is likely the key to picking up their seventh win of the season. The Spartans are shooting 49.9% from the field in their wins, and just 39.3% in their losses.

A deciding factor in the outcome of the game could be the health of forward Malik Hall, who missed the past three days with the flu, according to coach Tom Izzo. The senior forward would offer some much-needed size and scoring against Wisconsin’s front court. Hall currently sits at third on the team in points per game (9.9) and fourth in rebounds per game (5.6).

The Spartans will also look to their center duo to combat Wisconsin’s front court. Mady Sissoko, who stands at 6-foot-9 and leads the team in rebounds per game (6.3), has started four games and recently returned to the starting lineup, while 6-foot-11 Carson Cooper started the other three.

The Badgers have essentially beaten up on every team they’ve had a size advantage over.

Michigan State may not have the most impressive size on paper, as the average height of their top eight leaders in minutes is just 6-foot-5. But they can still rebound (39.7 per game, fifth in the Big Ten), and are tough on defense, allowing just 62.3 points per game (third-lowest in the Big Ten).

The Spartans will give a rising Badgers team the opportunity to prove themselves against a real conference opponent early in the season, as well as a chance to prepare for the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, which will be the final game in their gauntlet stretch.

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