Michigan St. @ Wisconsin preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 17, 2020 ) Wisconsin 55, Michigan St 67

No. 14 Michigan State looks for its third straight win when it visits Wisconsin for a Big Ten contest on Saturday. The Spartans are coming off an easy 79-50 victory at home over Northwestern on Wednesday while the Badgers have dropped two in a row, including a six-point setback at Iowa on Monday.

The Spartans are tied for first place in the Big Ten with Illinois and are looking to repeat their 12-point win over the Badgers in East Lansing on Jan. 17. Senior guard Cassius Winston leads the way for Tom Izzo's squad, averaging 18 points and 5.9 assists per game, while junior forward Xavier Tillman (13.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 blocks) is an interior presence on both ends of the floor. The Badgers come into this one a little short-handed after the unexpected departure from the team of guard Kobe King (10.0 points) and the one-game suspension of guard Brad Davison (8.8 points). The only remaining double-figure scorer for Wisconsin is forward Nate Reuvers (13.8 points, 2.1 blocks), who will have more scoring responsibility thrust upon him in this one.

TIME: 1 p.m. ET. TV: FOX

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten): He has played as few as three minutes in a reserve role and as many as 21 minutes as a starter, but sophomore forward Marcus Bingham Jr. continues to be an interior presence for the Spartans no matter what his role. After starting 14 straight games, Bingham has come off the bench in Michigan State's last two contests, but he's coming off one of his best games of the season, tallying seven points, seven rebounds and three blocks in just 15 minutes of playing time. In fact, Bingham is tied for 10th in the Big Ten in blocks per game with 1.6, even though he's averaging just 12.5 minutes, at least eight minutes fewer than everyone else in the top 10.

ABOUT WISCONSIN (12-9, 5-5): Even though he sat out the loss to Iowa for personal reasons, King's departure was a shock to the entire Wisconsin program, and some didn't have the nicest response to his decision. For their part, the Badgers' athletic communications department wiped King and his stats from the team's website and game notes, even though he was the team's second-leading scorer and third on the team in minutes per game this season. With King gone and Davison suspended, senior Brevin Pritzl (7.4 points) is scheduled to make his second start of the season alongside D'Mitrik Trice in the backcourt.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Spartans are second in the country in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to 27.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

2. Wisconsin is 5-0 this season when Pritzl scores in double figures.

3. The home team has won 21 of the last 25 meetings between these two played at campus sites, with Michigan State winning in Madison being the only exceptions.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 76, Wisconsin 64