Michigan State Men's Basketball: Wisconsin Preview

Michigan State is once again on the road as the Spartans travel to Madison to take on the No. 13-ranked Wisconsin Badgers on Friday night. This will be rematch from earlier in the 2023-2024 season, with the Badgers winning the first meeting at the Breslin Center, 70-57, in December.

This game will take place at the Kohl Center at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and will broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

In their most recent game, the Spartans were able to go on the road to Maryland and pull off a 61-59 victory for their first Big Ten road win of the season.

Wisconsin, which currently sits atop the Big Ten Conference standings, is coming off of a 61-59 victory on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Michigan State is looking to keep pace in the Big Ten standings, while the Badgers are hoping to keep ahold of the lead they have on the conference.

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.)

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

Injured: Jeremy Fears Jr. (6'2" Fr.)

Rankings & Ratings: No. N/A, RV (AP), No. N/A, RV (Coaches), No. 21 (NET), No. 16 (Kenpom), No. 12 (Barttorvik)

As mentioned, the Spartans were able to pick up the Big Ten road win that has eluded them throughout the season as they took down the Maryland Terrapins this past Sunday.

Graduate senior guard Tyson Walker led Michigan State in scoring with 15 points, while three other Spartans reached double figures in scoring. Walker added a game-high five assists and five steals.

Graduate senior forward Malik Hall added 12 points and a team-best six rebounds, while senior guard A.J. Hoggard added 12 points and two assists, and sophomore guard Tre Holloman finished with 12 points.

Walker hit a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left and Holloman forced a turnover on the final possession of the game to seal the victory for MSU. The Spartans improved to 12-7 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten Conference.

Now, Michigan State faces a tough road test against the top team in the Big Ten in a hostile environment in Madison. It will be interesting to see if MSU, which is currently on a three-game winning streak, can keep the momentum going against Wisconsin.

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.13 (AP), No. 13 (Coaches), No.11 (NET), No.11 (Kenpom), No.15 (Barttorvik)

Wisconsin has a lot of experience, and contrary to styles of past Wisconsin teams, plays a lot faster than you would expect.

Starting in the back-court for the Badgers are juniors Chucky Hepburn and Max Klesmit. Hepburn has been a mainstay at point guard for Wisconsin these past couple of seasons and is currently leading the Badgers in assists (3.9 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 (43.4% from 3-point range) as well as get you timely buckets.

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 A.J. 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 15.3 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.

Crowl surprisingly hurt the Spartans from 3-point range in the first meeting, but that is something head coach Tom Izzo should have his team better prepared for this time around.

The Wisconsin Badgers leading the Big Ten is no coincidence. This team is really well built, plays hard and is very consistent on both ends of the floor.

The Badgers are also one of the toughest teams to beat at home. The Spartans will have to use the first meeting as motivation in this one to get a victory and Malik Hall will be an X-factor in this game. Hall was under the weather and didn't play well in the first matchup.

A win would go a long way for the Spartans' March aspirations and confidence moving forward. But it is going to be tough to pull out a victory on Friday night in Madison.

Prediction: Wisconsin 75, Michigan State 70

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram.

For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.