Wisconsin got blown out of the gym against Michigan State on Friday night in East Lansing, falling to the Spartans in a 67-55 decision that is not indicative of just how soundly Bucky got beaten. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.
Wisconsin’s good fortune on the road runs out
Road wins have been few and far between so far in Big Ten play, and Wisconsin was able to pick up two big ones against Ohio State and Penn State. In those contests, the Badgers were able to overcome the type of poor offensive outings we have grown to expect from them away from the Kohl Center this season by playing lights-out defense.
That didn’t happen tonight against the Spartans in the Breslin Center, a venue in which Wisconsin has struggled mightily in recent years.
Offensively, this was right up there with Bucky’s worst performances of the season to this point. Michigan State’s impressive length and athleticism caused the Badgers fits all night long, and the visitors ultimately shot just 21.1 percent from beyond the arc and 35.6 from the floor overall. Even those meager totals are a bit deceiving, as Wisconsin was able to get it going a bit in garbage time.
On the other end of the court, the Badgers’ defense was ok, but by no means was it enough to overcome such a poor shooting night against the team that is the class of the Big Ten right now on its home floor. The Spartans, who shot 46.6 percent overall and 37.5 percent from long-range, were hitting some pretty tough shots, but they certainly were able to manufacture plenty of easy ones as well.
In explaining Michigan State’s all-around dominance over Wisconsin in this one, Jim Jackson astutely observed near the end of the broadcast that it felt like the Spartans had an extra man on the court on both ends. I couldn’t agree more, as it was abundantly clear throughout the game that there are major disparities between these two squads in terms of athleticism, length/size, and just overall talent.