Wisconsin vs. Michigan State Odds
East Lansing, MI (AP) – Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan has had plenty of success against Michigan State in his nine-plus seasons with the program.
Winning at the Breslin Center has proved to be a more difficult challenge.
The 20th-ranked Badgers look to beat the struggling Spartans on the road for the first time in nearly seven years Tuesday night in a key Big Ten matchup.
The loser of this contest will drop two games behind conference leader Purdue, off to a 4-0 start in Big Ten play.
Current college basketball odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made Michigan State 3.5-point spread favorites for Tuesday’s game against Wisconsin. Current college basketball public betting information shows that 75% of more than 1,232 bets for this game have been placed on Michigan State –3.5.
Ryan is 12-5 including conference tournament play against Michigan State coach Tom Izzo since arriving at Wisconsin before the 2001-02 season. No other Big Ten team has a winning record versus the Spartans during that span.
However, the Badgers have lost five straight in East Lansing – three when they were ranked – with their last victory being a 68-64 overtime win March 2, 2004.
“Michigan State definitely has one of the better crowds in the Big Ten and possibly the country,” senior Tim Jarmusz told the Badgers’ official website. “But it’s exciting and it gets you that much more pumped up to play. It’s a good thing.”
Wisconsin (12-3, 2-1) heads into this matchup on a high note after a 66-50 win over Michigan on Wednesday. Trailing by two at halftime, the Badgers outscored the Wolverines 40-22 in the second half and pulled away down the stretch.
Jordan Taylor, averaging 20.3 points in conference play and 16.4 on the season, had 20 points and eight rebounds. The junior guard has played 38.6 minutes per game in Big Ten play.
“Jordan is that kind of a person, that kind of a player, which is why he’s put in situations where you can trust him to do things, because he’s done them before,” Ryan said. “He works hard in practice to try and get better, both on the offensive and defensive end.”
Jon Leuer added 17 points and leads the team averaging 19.4. He missed the last matchup against Michigan State with a broken wrist as Taylor’s 17 points helped Wisconsin win 67-49 on Feb. 2. Leuer scored 21 in last season’s Jan. 6 visit to East Lansing, but Taylor was held to seven as the Spartans won 54-47.
The duo has helped the Big Ten’s stingiest defense hold opponents to 55.2 points per game, fifth-best nationally entering this week.
Wisconsin also is averaging a Division I-low 8.1 turnovers and only 4.3 in conference play.
While the Badgers have protected the ball, Michigan State is giving it away all too frequently.
The Spartans (10-5, 2-1) are committing a Big Ten-worst 15.1 turnovers per game, contributing to their rough start. From preseason No. 2 to falling out of the poll this week, Michigan State been done in by inconsistent play and 65.5 percent free-throw shooting – ninth in the conference.
Michigan State hit only 10 of 20 foul shots in Saturday’s 66-62 road loss to a Penn State team which had dropped four of five.
“It was one of the most disappointing losses of my career, not because of Penn State, but because of the way we prepared,” Izzo said. “We had one of our best weeks of practice.”
Durrell Summers’ up-and-down season continued, scoring 21 points after shooting 4 of 14 for 12 points in last Monday’s win over Northwestern. Draymond Green played a season-high 37 minutes, going 2 of 10 from the field for five points – less than half his season average.
The Spartans are averaging 73.8 points this season, but the Badgers have held them under 70 in eight straight meetings.
Bet Wisconsin vs. Michigan State Odds
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!