The game plan for the University of Wisconsin was to collapse the paint, not wanting one the nation’s best rebounding teams to overwhelm on the glass and in the paint, and dared Michigan State to beat them from the perimeter. The Spartans obliged.
The least efficient perimeter shooting team in the league rose to the occasion with a Big Ten title in its sights, as the eighth-ranked Spartans hit nine three-pointers and leaned on their strengths in a 71-62 victory over No.11 Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.
Jaden Atkins scored 18 points, while Jaxon Kohler had 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, as the Spartans (24-5, 15-3) outscored the Badgers by 11 in the second half. They control their path to an 11th regular season conference title under head coach Tom Izzo.
Ranked 343rd nationally in three-point percentage (29.6 percent), the Spartans hit nine three-pointers for only the fourth time this season.
John Blackwell had a game-high 19 points but needed 20 shots to get there. It was a theme throughout the roster, as Wisconsin (22-7, 12-6) shot a season-worst 33.8 percent on an ugly 5-for-32 (15.6 percent) from three-point range.
The loss eliminates Wisconsin from the 2024-25 Big Ten title race and puts the Badgers in a three-way tie for third place in the league with Maryland and Purdue. The top four teams in the league earn a double bye in the conference tournament, which will start March 12 in Indianapolis.
Michigan State led by as many as eight points with 8:40 remaining, but the Spartans couldn’t extend because of their offensive woes.
UW cut the lead to one with 6:57 left and two with 4:54 and 4:07 remaining, but the Badgers could never string together offense and scored only two points on their final seven offensive possessions.
Wisconsin executed its game plan in the first half by attacking the paint and preventing the Spartans from flexing their strengths. UW shot 62.5 percent from two (10-for-16), had an 18-6 edge in points in the paint, and went 8-for-10 from the foul line. Defensively, UW limited its rebounding deficit to five, gave up only seven fast-break points, and one point off four turnovers.
Wisconsin only led by two because the Badgers were 2-for-16 from the perimeter.
John Tonje finished with 11 points on 13 shots, his lowest scoring output since January 18.
What it means: Hopefully, Wisconsin got this offensive performance out of its system. The Spartans are one of the nation’s best teams defending against the three-point shot, but the Badgers missed many open looks. It’s becoming a concerning trend. Over the last three games, UW is 22-for-90 from three (24.4 percent).
Star of the game: Nolan Winter had nine points on 2-for-7 shooting, but what stood out was the sophomore was active on the glass in grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin lost control of the paint in the second half, giving up 26 points in the paint in the second half to flip the narrative from the first half.
Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin has avoided the significant injury bug all season, but senior Max Klesmit has been battling lower leg problems since the preseason and missed his second game Sunday. He traveled with the team but could only watch while wearing a walking boot on his right foot. Klesmit is on pace to shoot career lows from the field and the perimeter, but he leads the team with 74 assists (2.7 apg) and maintains a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. UW needs him to be healthy and productive enough to have a deep March run.
Don’t overlook: Wisconsin had only nine assists on 22 made field goals, compared to Michigan State’s 20 assists on its 28 field goals.
What’s next: Wisconsin plays its final true road game of the season when it heads to Minneapolis on Wednesday to face Minnesota. The Gophers (15-14, 7-11) took a big step in qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament with a 67-65 road win at Nebraska, getting a three-pointer with four seconds left by Brennan Rigby. Rigby had been averaging 4.9 points but scored a season-high 20 as Lu’Cye Patterson (16 points) and Dawson Garcia (nine) both battled through injuries.
Wisconsin won the season’s first meeting (80-59) on Jan.10, its eighth straight win in the series. The tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
_________________________________________________
*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den
*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel
*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)
*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @_Perko_, @seamus_rohrer, @DonnieSlusher_
*Like us on Facebook
