The #14 Wisconsin Badgers (18-4, 9-3 Big Ten) matchup against the #17 Michigan State Wolverines (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten) in a ranked contest between Big Ten Conference opponents. Wisconsin pulled out a 51-49 victory over Penn State on Saturday, while the Spartans suffered a 21 point defeat at the hands of Rutgers over the weekend.
Tuesday night’s contest tips off at 7 p.m. EST inside the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI. Michigan State is a 4-point favorite, and the over-under total is tabbed at 139.5 points.
What to Know – Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin’s won three of its last four games and remains just a game back in the conference standings. The Badgers ranked 31st in KenPom and 19th in the NCAA’s NET rankings.
On offense, the Badgers average 71.2 points per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from the 3-point line. Wisconsin’s defense limits opponents to 66.3 points per game, 43.5 percent shooting from the field, and 33.4 percent shooting from deep.
The Badgers held the Nittany Lions to 13 points in the first half and held on to edge Penn State by two in Saturday low-scoring victory. Wisconsin’s leading scorer Johnny Davis was held to just four points, but Steven Crowl stepped up to pace the Badgers in scoring with 13 points. Tyler Wahl (12 points) and Chucky Hepburn (10 points) reached double figures for Wisconsin in the victory.
Wisconsin has a 12-10 record against the spread this year and sports a 4-3 record ATS on the road. The Badgers are 0-5 ATS over their last five contests and 2-4 ATS in their previous six matchups against the Spartans.
What to Know – Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans roll into Tuesday night’s battle after suffering their worst loss of the season on the road against Rutgers. MSU ranks 22nd in the KenPom and 23rd in the NET rankings.
Michigan State scores 73.7 points per game thanks to 46.4 percent shooting from the field and 39.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Spartans surrender 66.4 points per game on defense, holding opponents to 40.3 percent shooting from the floor and 29.9 percent shooting from three.
MSU trailed by just two points heading into halftime but got blown out in the second half by the Scarlet Knights to drop their second conference contest in four games. Rutgers shot an eye-popping 61.5 percent from the field in the victory and forced 15 Spartan turnovers. Gabe Brown led MSU in scoring with 20 points in the loss.
The Spartans are 12-10 ATS and 5-5 ATS on their home court this season. MSU is 3-7 over its last ten games played in February.
The Pick is In
Both teams are coming off lackluster performances in their previous contests enter Tuesday night’s pivotal Big Ten clash. With the Badgers just a game back and the Spartans 1.5 games back, the conference showdown is a big one with under a month of games remaining in the regular season.
Look for Tuesday’s tilt to be a tight contest that will be back and forth throughout. We like the Badgers to hang close in this one and scare the Spartans at home.
Betting Pick: Wisconsin Badgers +4
