Michigan State left New Jersey feeling humbled over the weekend. The 13th-ranked Spartans had their usually stout defense thrashed by Rutgers in an 84-63 thumping on Saturday.
The Scarlet Knights shot 61.5 percent from the field while handing Michigan State its third Big Ten loss. The Spartans will look to bounce back at home against No. 11 Wisconsin on Tuesday in East Lansing, Mich.
“We didn’t come to play and I take full responsibility for all that because I’m a captain,” forward Gabe Brown said. “I’ve got to make sure guys bring it each and every day, even in practice, so I take full responsibility for that. (Rutgers) came out with a lot of energy, played tough, played physical and they got on the glass. They did a lot of good things that we didn’t do.”
Brown scored 20 points while making all but one of his seven 3-point attempts but his teammates shot 16-for-43 from the field. The Spartans (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten) also committed 15 turnovers and were outscored 44-25 in the second half.
“We’ve just got to come more ready to play, to be honest,” guard Max Christie said. “There’s nothing more to it. They played harder than us, they played quicker than us, they played tougher than us, more physical — everything, you name it.”
Michigan State’s two other Big Ten losses had come by one and two points, and on the season, opponents are making 40.3 percent against MSU.
“That was an old-fashioned butt kicking,” coach Tom Izzo said. “As dumb as it sounds, I thought the game was lost early. I thought it was one of the more physical games we’ve been in since the Mateen Cleaves days (20-plus years ago). … I love that brand of basketball, we just didn’t match it.”
The Badgers (18-4, 9-3) have won 10 of their last 12 games but one of those losses came at home against Michigan State. The Spartans had five players in double figures in that 86-74 triumph on Jan. 21.
The game could have a major impact on the Big Ten regular-season title chase. The Badgers and Spartans are jockeying for position at the top of the standings with Illinois (10-2) and Purdue (9-3), who play each other at Purdue on Tuesday.
It’s the Badgers’ first trip to East Lansing since Christmas Day, 2020, when then-No. 9 Wisconsin beat No. 12 Michigan State 85-76. That was Wisconsin’s first win in 13 tries at MSU since 2004.
Wisconsin showed Saturday it could pull out a victory despite cold shooting from its usual top two scorers. The backcourt of Johnny Davis (20.6 points per game) and Brad Davison (15.0) scored a combined 13 points on 5-for-23 shooting, yet Wisconsin squeaked by Penn State 51-49.
“I told him (Davis) and Brad in front of everybody in the locker room, ‘You guys have carried us on a lot of nights. Tonight, it was everyone else’s turn to carry them and help the team,'” coach Greg Gard said.
Tyler Wahl made a pivotal layup in the final minute and finished with 12 points. Steven Crowl had a team-high 13 points. The defense limited the Nittany Lions to 31.6 percent shooting.
“That’s a testament to how good this team is,” Wahl said. “We’ve got a lot of guys on this team who can help us win games.”
–Field Level Media