THE STORY: Another loss has Michigan State just barely hanging on to its spot in the Top-25, coming in at No. 24 in the Coaches Poll this week. The Spartans could shrug off their first four losses, since each came to a Top-15 team. But a road loss to Penn State has coach Tom Izzo searching for answers. Michigan State will be looking to get back on track when it hosts No. 21 Wisconsin on Tuesday in what promises to be a defensive slugfest.
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ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (10-5, 2-1 Big Ten): Nothing has come easily for Tom Izzo?s team, but that?s really nothing new for the Spartans, who have been known to start slow and finish strong. But with a senior-laden starting five and talent all over the floor, Izzo?s team began the season as the No. 2 team in the country and an easy favorite to make a third straight trip to the Final Four. After suffering a 66-62 loss at Penn State over the weekend, Michigan State will have a fight on its hands just to stay in the top half of a strong Big Ten. Durrell Summers scored 21 points and Kalin Lucas added 14 but no one else managed more than seven against Penn State as the Spartans struggled from beyond the arc (6 of 19) and from the free throw line (10 of 20).
ABOUT WISCONSIN (12-3, 2-1): The Badgers had the weekend off after suffocating Michigan last Wednesday, holding the Wolverines under 40 percent from the field while outrebounding them, 26-20. Jordan Taylor led Wisconsin with 20 points while Jon Leuer added 17. The Badgers excel at controlling the tempo and have not let an opponent reach the 70-point plateau in the first 15 games. Coach Bo Ryan has juggled his starting lineup a bit lately, bringing Mike Bruesewitz and Josh Gasser off the bench and inserting senior Tim Jarmusz and junior Rob Wilson into the starting five.
WHO?S HOT/WHO?S NOT: Since scoring 18 on Dec. 13 against Green Bay, Bruesewitz has totaled 12 points in the last four games. Taylor has picked up the slack, scoring at least 19 in each of the last four. Delvon Roe ranks second on Michigan State in rebounding but was held to one board against the Nittany Lions. Draymond Green scored five points on 2-of-10 shooting against Penn State after averaging 14.5 in the previous two games.
KEY STATISTIC: 8.1. Not only does Wisconsin do a great job of controlling the pace, it also excels at handling the basketball, committing an NCAA-low 8.1 turnovers per game. Lucas will key the Spartans defense in trying to disrupt the ball at the point of entry into the offense as Michigan State attempts to force some miscues.
RECENT HISTORY: Wisconsin has taken five of the last seven meetings between the schools, though each earned the win on its own home court during the 2009-2010 campaign. In the last eight meetings, the winning team has not scored more than 70 points.
LOOKING AHEAD: The road doesn?t get any easier for the Spartans, who host Northwestern on Saturday and then get No. 16 Illinois and No. 8 Purdue on the road next week. The Badgers get Illinois at home on Saturday and then won?t face another ranked team until hosting Purdue on Feb. 1.
LAST WORD: Izzo called the loss to Penn State one of the most disappointing in his career. Sooner or later the Spartans are going to have to figure out how to win a close game against a decent team, and Wisconsin is as good a place as any to start.
