State Journal reporter Jim Polzin breaks down the Big Ten matchup between the 20th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team and the 11th-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center in Madison.
NO. 20 UW VS. NO. 11 MSU
Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard has guided the Badgers to a 17-7 record, with a 9-4 mark in Big Ten play that includes a 61-52 loss at Michigan on Saturday.
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Kohl Center
TV: ESPN2, with Dave Fleming, Dan Dakich and Molly McGrath.
Radio: 1310 AM and 101.5 FM, with Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas.
BADGERS (17-7, 9-4)
Wisconsin redshirt freshman Kobe King enters Tuesday's matchup with Michigan State averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds a game.
Coach: Greg Gard, 74-43 in his fourth season at UW.
Player to watch: Redshirt freshman wing Kobe King had four points in a 61-52 loss at Michigan on Saturday, matching his combined scoring output from the previous five games. The Badgers were plus-13 in King’s 18-plus minutes on the floor vs. the Wolverines.
PROBABLE UW STARTERS
Wisconsin guard Brad Davison is averaging 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range this season.
| No. | Name | Ht. | Year | PPG |
| 35 | Nate Reuvers | 6-11 | So. | 8.4 |
| 21 | Khalil Iverson | 6-5 | Sr. | 4.8 |
| 22 | Ethan Happ | 6-10 | Sr. | 18.3 |
| 0 | D'Mitrik Trice | 6-0 | So. | 13.2 |
| 34 | Brad Davison | 6-3 | So. | 11.1 |
KEY BADGERS RESERVES
Wisconsin forward Aleem Ford is averaging 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds a game this season.
| No. | Name | Ht. | Year | PPG |
| 23 | Kobe King | 6-4 | Fr. | 4.2 |
| 1 | Brevin Pritzl | 6-3 | Jr. | 4.6 |
| 2 | Aleem Ford | 6-8 | So. | 3.0 |
| 15 | Charlie Thomas | 6-8 | Sr. | 2.0 |
YOU SHOULD KNOW
Wisconsin center Ethan Happ is averaging 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists as a senior.
Fans are encouraged to wear red to the game to create a “Sea of Red.” … After three consecutive double-doubles Ethan Happ now has 47 in his career and is tied with Joe Franklin for the most in program history. Happ has never posted a double-double vs. Michigan State, averaging 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in six career games against the Spartans.
SPARTANS (19-5, 10-3)
Michigan State guard Cassius Winston leads the Big Ten in assists with 7.4 per game, and his 18.6 points a game are good for fourth best in the conference.
Coach: Tom Izzo, 593-230 in his 24th season at Michigan State.
Player to watch: Junior guard Cassius Winston leads the Big Ten in assists (7.4) and is fourth in scoring. He’s reached double figures in points in all but one game and has posted double-figures in assists five times, including 12 on three occasions.
PROBABLE MSU STARTERS
Michigan State forward Nick Ward is averaging 15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game entering Tuesday's game against UW.
| No. | Name | Ht. | Year | PPG |
| 25 | Kenny Goins | 6-7 | Sr. | 7.0 |
| 11 | Aaron Henry | 6-6 | Fr. | 4.8 |
| 44 | Nick Ward | 6-9 | Jr. | 15.5 |
| 5 | Cassius Winston | 6-1 | Jr. | 18.6 |
| 20 | Matt McQuaid | 6-5 | Sr. | 8.7 |
KEY SPARTANS RESERVES
Michigan State forward Xavier Tillman is averaging 8.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game.
| No. | Name | Ht. | Year | PPG |
| 23 | Xavier Tillman | 6-8 | So. | 8.6 |
| 0 | Kyle Ahrens | 6-6 | Jr. | 5.8 |
| 3 | Foster Loyer | 6-0 | Fr. | 1.7 |
| 15 | Thomas Kithier | 6-8 | Fr. | 1.4 |
YOU SHOULD KNOW
Michigan State forward Kenny Goins, the Spartans' leading rebounder, is questionable for Tuesday night's game in Madison.
Kenny Goins, who leads the Spartans with 8.9 rebounds per game, is questionable with an elbow injury. … Michigan State has assists on 69.3 percent of its field goals this season, which leads the nation. The Spartans had 27 assists on 31 field goals vs. Minnesota, with Cassius Winston and Matt McQuaid combining for 17. … Foster Loyer and UW freshman forward Taylor Currie were teammates at Clarkston High School, which won back-to-back state titles in Michigan’s largest class.
Jim Polzin | Wisconsin State Journal
Jim Polzin covers Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball for the Wisconsin State Journal.
As featured on
The UW men’s basketball team fell one spot to No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after splitting two games last week.
UW has lost its last five games against the Spartans.
“Of course, I’d like everyone to like me, but at the same time I’m not going to let those opinions ever affect the way that I play,'' Davison says.
