The Michigan State men's basketball team (4-3, 0-0) returns back to action after a week off to begin Big Ten play as the Spartans welcome the No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers (6-2, 0-0) into the Breslin Center.

The game will take tip off at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and will stream live on Peacock. In their last game, the Spartans were able to get a fairly comfortable win versus Georgia Southern by a final score of 86-55. Meanwhile, the Badgers are coming off a big win at home versus No. 3 Marquette, 75-64.

This is the first Big Ten game of the season for both teams, so the Spartans and Badgers will each be looking to get off on the right foot as they begin conference play.

Michigan State: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - A.J. Hoggard (6’4” Sr.), Tre Holloman (6’2” So.)

2 - Tyson Walker (6’0” Graduate Sr.), Jeremy Fears Jr. (6'2" Fr.)

3 - Jaden Akins (6’4” Jr.), Coen Carr (6’5” Fr.), Gehrig Normand (6'5" Fr.)

4 - Malik Hall (6’8” Graduate Sr.), Xavier Booker (6'11" Fr.)

5 - Carson Cooper (6’11” So.), Mady Sissoko (6’9” Sr.)

Injured: Jaxon Kohler (6’9” So.)

Rankings & Ratings: No. N/A (AP), No. N/A (Coaches), No.51 (NET), No.19 (Kenpom), No.14 (Barttorvik)

Michigan State was able to have a full 40-minute dominant display in their last game versus Georgia Southern. Defensively, the Spartans were locked in from the jump, and offensively, they were able to put pressure on the Eagles in transition and attacking the rim.

Junior guard Jaden Akins was able to pour in 14 points, while graduate senior guard Tyson Walker added 13 points. The game against the Eagles saw contributions from everyone that will hopefully lead to some confidence coming into the game versus the Badgers. However, head coach Tom Izzo recently challenged his veterans, including Akins and senior point guard A.J. Hoggard, in terms of leadership and consistency.

This game will be massive for many reasons for the Spartans. For starters, they will want to get off to a good start in Big Ten play as they have aspirations of winning the conference title. Although no Big Ten banners are won in December, it sure will feel great and go a long way for this team to get a win at home against a very good Wisconsin team to start off 1-0 in league play.

Michigan State will have to be locked in early and be up for the challenge that the Badgers will present.

Wisconsin: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - Chucky Hepburn (6'2" Jr.), John Blackwell (6'4" Fr.)

2 - Max Klesmit (6'4" Jr.), Connor Essegian (6'4" So.)

3 - AJ Storr (6'7" Jr.)

4 - Tyler Wahl (6'9" Sr.)

5 - Steven Crowl (7'0" Jr.)

Injured:

Rankings & Ratings: No.23 (AP), No. N/A (Coaches), No.26 (NET), No.15 (Kenpom), No.31 (Barttorvik)

The Badgers come into this game with a 6-2 overall record and are newly ranked in the Associated Press Poll (No. 23). Part of the reason for this is their latest win at home versus the then No. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles, which was very impressive.

Wisconsin has a lot of experience, and contrary to styles of past Wisconsin teams, plays a lot faster than years prior.

Starting in the back-court for the Badgers are juniors Chucky Hepburn and Max Klesmit. Hepburn has been a mainstay at point guard for the Badgers these past couple of seasons and is currently leading the Badgers in assists (3.1 per game) and minutes per game (31.6). Hepburn’s running mate, Klesmit, is one of the most underrated role players in the Big Ten. He is a great defender who always makes the right play and can shoot fairly well (36.4% from 3-point range) as well as get you timely buckets. He is coming off a career game, scoring 21 points against Marquette with 20 of those coming in the first half alone.

Coming off the bench is quietly one of the best freshmen in the Big Ten this season in guard John Blackwell. Blackwell has done an amazing job off the bench for this Badgers team, and has seen his role and minutes increase because of it. Blackwell is a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan native out of Brother Rice High School.

On the wing is the prize possession of Wisconsin's transfer portal shopping this summer with 6-foot-7 wing AJ Storr. The St. John's transfer is a highly-athletic wing who plays extremely hard on both ends of the floor. Storr currently leads the Badgers in scoring with 13.3 points per game.

Like the back-court, the front-court of this Badgers team also has players who have played a lot of basketball for Wisconsin. Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl may not be the best front-court in the Big Ten, but they are very solid and always do their job. Wahl is a Malik Hall-type of utility forward who finds many different ways to affect the game. Crowl is quietly one of the better centers in the Big Ten. He rebounds extremely well and uses his 7-foot frame to finish around the basket and defend the basket on the defensive end.

This is a great opportunity to not only improve the overall record for Michigan State, but also to start off 1-0 in Big Ten play. The Badgers aren't known as a 3-point shooting team, so the Spartans shouldn't have to be as worried about that part of their game.

Wisconsin is a team that is very active on the offensive glass, so defensive rebounding as a team will be crucial in this game. Both teams are very good defensively, but I think the advantage should go to the Spartans playing on their home court at the Breslin Center.

Prediction: Michigan State 75, Wisconsin 66

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