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Michigan State Basketball: Staff score predictions vs. Wisconsin in Week 12

By Connor Muldowney

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Xavier Tillman #23 of the Michigan State Spartans looks for a call during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Xavier Tillman #23 of the Michigan State Spartans looks for a call during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State is riding a two-game winning streak, looking to make it three, but the Spartans must get through Wisconsin on Friday.

Friday night isn’t just an opportunity for Michigan State to add to its winning streak, but also to pull even closer to Ohio State for second place in the Big Ten standings. The Buckeyes lost to Penn State on a buzzer-beater at home Thursday night which could help the Spartans down the line.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 reasons not to panic after Michigan loss

That won’t much matter if the Spartans aren’t able to beat Wisconsin on Friday. The Badgers have been struggling this season, going 10-11 through the first two-plus months with a 3-5 conference mark.

Although the Badgers usually play Michigan State tough, how will they fare on Friday night against the Spartans in East Lansing?

Here’s what our staff thinks about Friday night’s game against the Badgers.

Connor Muldowney: If you’re Michigan State, you’re looking at Friday’s game against Wisconsin as an opportunity to build momentum for a Big Ten title run. With two straight wins since that horrid Michigan loss under the Spartans’ belt, Miles Bridges and Co. will make it three with a comfortable home win against a struggling Badger team. Bridges will drop 21 points while both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nick Ward have double-doubles. Expect a nice bounce-back game from Cassius Winston as well while Matt McQuaid comes off the bench to drain some back-breaking 3-pointers late.

Final Score: Wisconsin 61, Michigan State 83

Michael Briggs: Michigan State left Champaign Tuesday with a big road victory behind strong performances from Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. Both showed the tough-minded “Spartan Dawg” mentality MSU needs from its biggest stars. Clearly, the Spartans still need to fix their turnover issues, which I’m sure Izzo has been drilling into their heads. MSU’s will to win despite a relentless effort from Illinois was a good sign, though.

This Wisconsin squad isn’t the caliber of team we’re accustomed to seeing from the Badgers, but MSU still needs to put forth another strong effort to get the win. We’ll see if this latest bounce-back is here to last. I can’t imagine Spartans fans will be let down in this one, but a lackluster effort against UW could signal an impending upset in Sunday’s road game at Maryland.

Final Score: Wisconsin 65, Michigan State 86

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Adam Zdroik: Ethan Happ could end up being a problem for Nick Ward on the defensive end if it comes down to it, but that may be the only advantage Wisconsin has. The Badgers have been torched in every Big Ten road game this season including on Tuesday at Iowa. Happ could be a problem, but Wisconsin has no answer for Miles Bridges or Jaren Jackson.

Final Score: Wisconsin 61, Michigan State 81

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