The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers (22-7, 12-6 Big Ten) fell to the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans (24-5, 15-3) on Sunday afternoon, suffering their second loss in the last three games.

A thrilling, back-and-forth matchup was punctuated by utter dysfunction from the Badgers in the final minutes, giving the Spartans a greater hold on the Big Ten as teams prepare for their final games.

Here are my three biggest takeaways from Sunday’s loss.

One of the best and most exciting games of Wisconsin’s season will try to be swiftly forgotten by fans, based on the utter disaster that unfolded in the final six minutes.

At the 5:20 mark, the Badgers were down just 58-57.

Then a John Tonje turnover gave way to a Coen Carr dunk. Then Carson Cooper slipped behind the defense for another dunk. Within three minutes, the Spartans increased their lead to nine, and it was essentially over.

It was the very first thing coach Greg Gard addressed after the game, before he was even asked any questions.

“Obviously, the last six, seven minutes, I thought we really inflicted some damage to ourselves with some turnovers.

“Even with 5-for-32 [3-point shooting], I thought we were in position.”

Michigan State is now +84 in the second half over their last seven games.

This is the time of year when lineups begin to thin out, and coaches shorten their bench. Yet Tom Izzo has defied traditional thinking and still rolls out nine or 10-man rotations. Nine Spartan players logged at least 13 minutes on Sunday.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, used just seven guys. This was partially due to an injury issue that seems to be showing up at the absolute worst time.

Guard Max Klesmit started Wisconsin’s most recent game against Washington on Tuesday, but left after just five minutes. He was ruled out prior to tip-off on Sunday.

Forward Xavier Amos played just two minutes after apparently tweaking his ankle a few days ago, according to Gard.

Regardless of whatever injuries Wisconsin is dealing with, the type of late-game collapses we’ve seen against Oregon and now Michigan State are enough to inspire serious doubt.

Anyone who’s watched or even heard anything about the Badgers this season knows about their newfound commitment to 3-pointers.

They entered Sunday averaging 28.0 attempts per game, which ranks No. 27 in the country and No. 2 in the Big Ten.

Putting all their eggs in the 3-point basket has led to the best offensive season of the Gard era. It also led to what we saw on Sunday.

Wisconsin went just 5-of-32. Not a single player was effective from outside.

John Blackwell finished with a team-high 19 points but shot 1-for-7 from 3. John Tonje went an atrocious 1-for-8. Kamari McGee entered shooting 54.2 percent from outside, then went 0-for-5. Nolan Winter impressed with a superb 17 rebounds, but still finished 1-for-5.

“We didn’t shoot it well in the first half, 2-for-16. But you come in with the two-point lead. And we got on fire in the second half and we go 3-for-16,” Gard joked.

This is now Wisconsin’s second loss in the past three games. They struggled from outside in both outings, having gone 7-for-28 against Oregon.

When asked if there was any correlation between the two losses, Gard simply responded, “Totally different teams. Totally different with how they play.”

That’s true. The opponent doesn’t matter if the Badgers aren’t hitting open shots.

Wisconsin’s late-game collapse punctuated a back-and-forth slugfest that otherwise never felt too tilted in either direction.

Yet the Badgers had a chance to establish a lead in the first half. They actually did for the first few minutes.

Then Jaden Akins checked in. He subbed back in at the 14:38 mark and proceeded to hit three 3-pointers in a row, turning a 13-4 disparity to a 17-17 tie.

A few extra buckets later in the half gave him 14 entering the break. Nobody else on Michigan State had more than three at this point.

Most of his scoring came in the first half, but he was still a +19 in the second half, when his defense became more important.

Akins embodied the Spartan ethos on Sunday. Doing whatever is needed when it’s needed, even if it’s two completely different jobs within the same game.

If the Badgers find a way to limit him early on, they would’ve entered the second half with a greater lead and more confidence, possibly preventing the collapse.

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