Big Ten tournament semifinal prediction: Can Wisconsin basketball upset No. 1 seed Michigan State?
INDIANAPOLIS - Fresh off one of is best offensive days of the season, Wisconsin faces the team that shut it down best.
In scoring a 71-62 victory over the Badgers on March 2, Michigan State held UW to season lows for points, field goal percentage (.338, 22 for 65) and three-point field goal percentage (.156, 5 for 32).
The Spartans also owned a 51-40 edge on the boards that included 13 offensive rebounds.
That game was the first of three missed by senior guard Max Klesmit, who will be in the starting lineup for the rematch.
What did the Badgers learn from that experience? Here is what John Tonje, Kamari McGee and John Blackwell said after the Badgers’ 86-70 win over UCLA.
Tonje: “I think one of the things is just how physical they are and how they're trying to get to the offensive rebounds. They cycle a lot of guys. I think they go 10, 11 deep in their roster. We're just going to have to be ready to compete, and it's going to be as simple as that.”
McGee: “I would say not to get jump shot happy. A lot of shots went down today. I feel like we didn't go in the paint enough at their place. I feel like we can really eat inside and find guys and spread. That's where we can get our 3s from, inside out. If we just attack the paint more than we did in the last game, we'll have better results.”
Blackwell: “I just think down the stretch, we've just got to execute a little bit better. I know you're on the road and it's a tough environment, but you've just got to execute better as a point guard to do that. I think we didn't do that there. We were careless with the ball and gave them a few more possessions. Then the effort plays. They had more effort plays than us. We can't give up that many offensive rebounds if (we're ) going to win the game.”
Matchup to watch: Michigan State’ s Jaxon Kohler vs. any Badger crashing the boards
The 6-9 junior forward’s work on the glass fueled the Spartans' win. He grabbed 16 rebounds, nine offensive, in the first meeting. Those second chances led to six points and provided emotional fuel for the Spartans and their fan base. The Badgers must keep a body on him.
Wisconsin-Michigan State prediction
The most promising part of Wisconsin’s effort Friday was its work on the defensive end. There is a better chance of the Badgers repeating their effort against Michigan State there than having another hot shooting day. UW was close to scoring an impressive road win earlier this month. The outcome of that game swung on a few possessions. We think things go the Badgers' way this time.
Score: Wisconsin 75, Michigan State 71
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Big Ten semifinal prediction: Can Wisconsin upset Michigan State?
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