About a month ago, no one really would’ve thought twice about a Michigan State vs Wisconsin road game in Madison in mid-February. Yes, it would be a tough battle for the Spartans, but no one would’ve expected it to be as meaningful as it’s become.
Wisconsin has been on fire in recent games, going 8-2 in its last 10, beating teams like Illinois and Michigan on the road to pull within a game of a second-place tie in the Big Ten.
No one saw that coming.
Yes, Greg Gard has proven to be a really good coach and his teams always seem to exceed expectations, and this year’s squad is no different. The Badgers were overlooked before they beat Michigan, and then they remained hot and took Illinois down in Champaign on Tuesday night to improve to 9-4 in Big Ten play.
Michigan State, Purdue, and Nebraska are all 10-3 and Illinois has played one more game and is 11-3. There are essentially four teams tied for second behind Michigan.
Wisconsin is hoping to join that mix, and a win over Michigan State on Friday evening in Madison would get the Badgers into the fold and likely end the Spartans’ title hopes.
I don’t think Wisconsin will ultimately win the Big Ten because the Badgers already have four losses and have to host Michigan State and Iowa and travel to Ohio State, a West Coast trip, and Purdue. The Badgers would likely have to be perfect the rest of the way.
But they’re still lobbying for position in the standings, and they’re a win over Michigan State away from jumping the Spartans in the Big Ten.
A loss for Michigan State on Friday night would likely eliminate the Spartans from the Big Ten title race with six games left in the regular season, but a win would put them in prime position to potentially control their own destiny — assuming Purdue beats Michigan next week.
Playing at the Kohl Center is never easy, but it just got a lot more difficult with Wisconsin playing its best basketball of the season and ready to upset Michigan State to move up in the Big Ten standings.
Tom Izzo has his work cut out for him.