Wisconsin Badgers: The Key To Beating Michigan State Is Fundamental

Michigan State's men's basketball team, led by coach Tom Izzo, continues to slice through the Big Ten schedule like a hot knife through butter.

The Spartans are currently sitting in first place atop the Big Ten standings going into to Tuesday night's tangle with the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Badgers are coming of a tough loss at Purdue, their third loss in conference play.

Wisconsin's first loss in the conference came back on January 6 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Michigan State came away with a 54-47 victory in a hard fought defensive struggle.

The Badgers hope to turn the tables on Sparty as MSU travels to the Kohl Center in Madison for the last regular season meeting between these two teams.

As game time approaches, I am pondering what Wisconsin can do differently in this game to win.

And it all boils down to fundamentals. A basic tenet of the game, that everyone, from Junior High to the NBA knows.

That is this: the team that rebounds the best generally leaves the floor with a "W".

In the last meeting between these two teams, the Badgers were out rebounded by a tally of 38-23, and ten of MSU's rebounds were of the offensive variety.

Inexcusable.

Typically, rebounding has been a staple of Bo Ryan's Wisconsin teams. If they hope to stay alive in the hunt for the Big Ten title, rebounding will be the key against the high flying Spartans.

To accomplish the formidable task of out rebounding the Spartans, the Badgers will need to do a better job of boxing out the Michigan State guards.

The Spartan's guards combined for a total of 20 rebounds in the last meeting, only three less than the entire Wisconsin team.

It will be incumbent upon guards Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon to go directly to their men and put a body on them upon the shot. If the Badger guards crash the boards, or get lazy for one second, Michigan State will have the advantage they need.

Case in point, Durrell Summers, a 6-4 guard for MSU, was able to dig out three offensive rebounds, all of which were a result of the Badger guards playing the ball, rather than their man.

With the conference slate winding down, the Badgers need this win in a bad way if there is any remaining hope of a Big Ten title. And without some rebounds, it isn't going to happen.

On second thought, the Badgers have been perfect all year at one thing, winning at home. So the most important thing they will have in this game that they did not have on January 6 will be home court advantage.

Notes —

Wisconsin is 12-0 at home this season, and on a 17 game home winning streak.

The Badgers are 11-5 against MSU under Bo Ryan.

Keaton Nankivil's seven made three point attempts against Purdue tied him with eight other Badgers for a Wisconsin record.

Michigan State is 22-41 in games played in Madison.