Wisconsin vs. Michigan State: Start Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview and More

The No. 10 Michigan State Spartans (22-7) are hosting the No. 22 Wisconsin Badgers in a must-see Big Ten battle.

With the regular season winding down and the conference tournament set to begin shortly, the Spartans direly need to break out of the slump they have gotten themselves into.

Coach Tom Izzo’s group has lost three straight to B1G opponents, starting with a 72-68 defeat at home to Indiana, a 68-60 shellacking at the hands of Ohio State and a 58-57 heart-breaker to rival Michigan.

Bo Ryan’s Badgers are faring a bit better, but did get upset by Purdue, 69-56, on Senior Day this past Sunday.

It’s going to be exciting to see who can come out ahead and find a way to get back on track.

Keep reading to find out where to watch the game, who to keep an eye on, a prediction on the final score and much more.

When: Thursday, March 7 at 9 p.m. ET

Where: Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, Mich.

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN3 (check coverage map here)

Injury Report (via USA Today)

Wisconsin

No major injuries to report

 

Michigan State

F Kenny Kaminski, Out for Season, Shoulder

Wisconsin Player to Watch: Ben Brust

Brust has been nothing short of special for the Badgers in 2012-13, as just glancing at his stat line reveals his importance to the program.

The 6’1” guard is averaging 11.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, all career highs in his junior season.

He’s come up big when it counts too, as he helped the Badgers knock off No. 13 Ohio State on Feb. 17 with 15 points, 11 boards and three dimes.

However, when Brust is off, the team suffers. In Sunday’s loss to Purdue, he couldn’t find the bottom of the net and finished with eight points, three rebounds and one assist.

It’s clear that Brust will need to bring his A-game if Wisconsin is going to pull an upset on Thursday.

 

Michigan State Player to Watch: Gary Harris

Harris’ draft stock has shot up dramatically in the past few weeks, which is no surprise considering his amazing play—even in tough losses.

The freshman guard has found a way to score from all over the court and is averaging a solid 13.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in his first collegiate campaign.

At 6’4”, 205 pounds, Harris has the size to guard other perimeter players, but truly excels when given a chance to create offensively. He can knock down three-pointers (42.2 percent from deep), knife to the cup for easy buckets and get to the line (73.8 percent free-throw shooter).

If the Fishers, Ind. product is going to help the Spartans regain their footing for the upcoming NCAA tournament and put a stop to the squad’s three-game tailspin, he’ll need to come up big in this contest.

 

Prediction

This is going to be a back-and-forth affair between two Big Ten rivals that will not want to concede a single point to the opposition.

However, we’re giving the edge to the Spartans here, as they have already proven they have the wits and guts to outshine the Badgers—when they did so on the road back on Jan. 22.

It’s worth noting that in the 49-47 Michigan State victory, Wisconsin only went 7-of-18 on free-throw attempts—shooting even 50 percent would have likely brought the contest to overtime.

We imagine things will be a bit different this time, especially for Harris. The superstar was held to six points on 2-of-3 shooting, a ridiculously low number for a player that takes 9.6 field-goal attempts per game.

If Harris can get going and the rest of the Spartans take care of business, coach Izzo’s squad is going to coast to victory and snap their losing streak.

Michigan State 57, Wisconsin 53