After winning back-to-back Big Ten games to get back to .500 in conference play, Michigan State had a measuring stick-type game tonight against league-leader No. 13 Wisconsin.
The Spartans fell well short in a 81-66 defeat at the hands of the Badgers. Wisconsin led from start to finish, was more physical, more efficient and just flat better than MSU for 40 minutes tonight in Madison. With this loss, combined with a 70-57 defeat back on Dec. 5, Michigan State was swept by Wisconsin in the regular season for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Here are five observations from a bad night for the Spartans…
1.) Badgers slice up Spartans’ defense
Wisconsin has one of the most efficient offenses in all of college basketball, and the Badgers sliced and diced the Spartans’ defense in this one. Wisconsin seemingly scored or got fouled on each of their offensive possessions, and that was reflected in the final numbers.
The Badgers shot 51% from the floor, and while they finished just 9-of-25 (36%) from 3-point range, Wisconsin seemed to hit a big one whenever Michigan State got even an inkling of momentum. The Spartans didn’t necessarily set the world on fire offensively, but they were solid on that end of the floor tonight, averaging 1.015 points per possession. But, the Badgers’ own patient and surgical approach of offensive picked apart Michigan State’s defense to the tune of 1.35 points per possession.