Who’s Playing
Michigan State @ Wisconsin
Current Records: Michigan State 14-3; Wisconsin 15-2
What to Know
The #8 Wisconsin Badgers and the #14 Michigan State Spartans are set to square off in a Big Ten matchup at 9 p.m. ET Jan. 21 at Kohl Center. The Badgers will be strutting in after a win while MSU will be stumbling in from a loss.
Even if it wasn’t a dominant performance, Wisconsin beat the Northwestern Wildcats 82-76 on Tuesday. Wisconsin can attribute much of their success to guard Jonathan Davis, who had 27 points along with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, MSU entered their contest against Northwestern on Saturday without any home losses — but there’s a first time for everything. The Spartans fell in a 64-62 heartbreaker. Michigan State’s defeat came about despite a quality game from forward Julius Marble II, who had 18 points.
The Badgers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 3.5-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a five-game streak of ATS wins.
Wisconsin is now 15-2 while MSU sits at 14-3. Two numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Wisconsin comes into the game boasting the second fewest turnovers per game in college basketball at 8.4. Less enviably, MSU is stumbling into the matchup with the 29th fewest takeaways in college basketball, having accrued only 11.1 on average. So the cards are definitely stacked against MSU.
How To Watch
When: Friday at 9 p.m. ETWhere: Kohl Center — Madison, WisconsinTV: Fox Sports 1Follow: CBS Sports AppTicket Cost: $32.50
Odds
The Badgers are a 3.5-point favorite against the Spartans, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Badgers as a 4.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -109
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Series History
Michigan State have won eight out of their last 11 games against Wisconsin.
Dec 25, 2020 – Wisconsin 85 vs. Michigan State 76Feb 01, 2020 – Wisconsin 64 vs. Michigan State 63Jan 17, 2020 – Michigan State 67 vs. Wisconsin 55Mar 16, 2019 – Michigan State 67 vs. Wisconsin 55Feb 12, 2019 – Michigan State 67 vs. Wisconsin 59Mar 02, 2018 – Michigan State 63 vs. Wisconsin 60Feb 25, 2018 – Michigan State 68 vs. Wisconsin 63Jan 26, 2018 – Michigan State 76 vs. Wisconsin 61Feb 26, 2017 – Michigan State 84 vs. Wisconsin 74Feb 18, 2016 – Michigan State 69 vs. Wisconsin 57Jan 17, 2016 – Wisconsin 77 vs. Michigan State 76
