Losing its grip on the top spot in the Big Ten by losing three in a row, the Michigan State Spartans ended that slide before it could get any bigger by taking down Minnesota over the weekend. Sparty is just a game behind Michigan, but they will lament losses to Indiana and Illinois last week, two teams closer to the bottom of the standings than the top. The Spartans will get a chance to prove they’ve overcome those setbacks by taking down the host Wisconsin Badgers in a Tuesday tilt from Madison.
Michigan State Spartans at Wisconsin Badgers
Date and Time: Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Location: Kohl Center, Madison, WI
CBB Betting Online Odds at Bookmaker.eu: Check Back Later
Michigan State at Wisconsin TV Coverage: ESPN2
Live Betting Odds Analysis
Three of Michigan State’s five losses on the year came in consecutive games with ghastly defeats at home to Indiana and on the road against Illinois. Sparty ended their longest skid in nearly two years with a win over Minnesota on Saturday night and carries a two-game road losing streak into their matchup at the Kohl Center.
Injuries have plagued MSU with Joshua Langford out for the season and Kenny Goins exiting the last game. And the Spartans offense without two scoring threats has been exposed, falling below their season average in each of the last four games while failing to crack the 80-point mark in eight of their past nine. Over that span the under is 7-2.
Sparty opened the door for others to catch up in the standings and the Badgers made their move by winning six straight and covering the closing line each time. Wisconsin started its streak with a win over then-unbeaten Michigan. With a chance to match the Wolverines for the best record in Big Ten play, Bucky saw its win streak come to an end with a 61-52 loss at UM on Saturday. The Badgers have won their last three at home, which included taking down No. 2 Michigan and No. 21 Maryland, along with a 20-point thrashing of Northwestern.
Player to Watch
It seems as though Ethan Happ has been around the Wisconsin program forever, and the way he’s been playing this season there are a number of coaches who will be happy when he’s gone. One of those is Michigan’s John Beilein, who watched the fifth-year senior go for 18 points and 11 rebounds over the weekend. Despite that effort against a highly-ranked opponent, Happ wasn’t satisfied since his team suffered a loss.
With his strong season, Happ has climbed into the Wooden Award conversation, and there’s no denying he’s worthy of such praise. He collected a triple double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over Northwestern last month and he’s the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top-5 in scoring and rebounding. And just for fun he’s also among the top-5 in assists per game.
Foul trouble kept him off the floor for stretches in the second half against UM or the outcome could have been different. Happ averages 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, but his scoring could be higher with better accuracy from the stripe. If it comes down to it, Happ will be fouled since he shoots just 47.1 percent from the free throw line.
Injury Report
Initially the loss of Langford didn’t affect the Spartans too badly. But lately the team has been exposed on the offensive end and that’s an area where Langford would typically take over. He was averaging 15 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists before being put on the shelf. As one of the better three-point shooters in the conference, he was able to stretch defenses.
On Saturday the Spartans lost another key player when Kenny Goins left and didn’t return due to an elbow injury. Though not considered serious, the ailment could affect Goins’ ability to shoot and defend. And it takes a toll on the team’s depth. Goins leads the team with 8.9 rebounds per game while adding 7.0 points.
College Basketball Live Betting Picks
Sparty’s offense hasn’t been as efficient since Langford was lost for the year, taking a 15 point per game scorer and team leader off the floor can do that to a team. Matt McQuaid had his best game of the season the last time out, picking up some of the slack, and Nick Ward is a phenomenal player. Happ is going to be the offense for Bucky so play him on the live betting lines at BookMaker.eu. If the Spartans can slow the rest of the team, they will be in a good spot to claim a victory, and I expect them to do that.
College Basketball Score Prediction: Michigan State 74, Wisconsin 67
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