Michigan State Basketball: Series history vs. Wisconsin Badgers

Michigan State basketball is hosting No. 23 Wisconsin on Tuesday night. What does history tell us about this matchup?

Big Ten basketball is finally here. Michigan State basketball opens conference play against the No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday night at the Breslin Center. Wisconsin is always a big game on the schedule as we both tend to compete for conference championships, and this year is no different.

Let’s take a quick look at the series history between these programs before the big game on Tuesday night.

Michigan State leads the all-time series over the Badgers

Wisconsin and Michigan State know each other very well. So much so that Wisconsin is one of the teams we have played the most in our entire program’s history. Tuesday night marks the 153rd meeting between these programs, and the Spartans have a comfortable lead in the series.

Michigan State currently holds an 86-67 lead over the Badgers in the all-time series. This includes seven wins in the last ten meetings against Wisconsin as well. These seven wins caught me by surprise because we have been struggling the last few years and Wisconsin is always solid.

Tom Izzo also has a 35-23 record against the Badgers during his tenure as well. Another very impressive stat.

Spartans vs. Badgers 1999-2000

We can’t talk about Michigan State and Wisconsin basketball without bringing up the 1999-2000 season. All Spartan fans know this is the year we won our second national championship. But do you remember the role Wisconsin played in that season?

One common saying in basketball is that it’s difficult to beat any opponent three times in one season. What about four times, though? That’s what Michigan State did on its way to a national title. Michigan State beat Wisconsin twice in the regular season, in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, and in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. I have no idea how many times a team has beaten the same opponent four times in one season, but I have to imagine this is one of only a handful in college basketball history.

Massive implications

A win against Wisconsin is extremely important for multiple reasons. First, it’s always nice to start the conference season 1-0. Second is the fact that Wisconsin is one of the best teams in the conference. Wisconsin is 6-2 to start the season and is coming off a massive upset against in-state rival and third-ranked Marquette. To hand a Big Ten contender an early season loss would be huge for our goal of winning the conference.

Finally, it’s important because of what happened to Purdue. The Boilermakers are rightfully the favorite to win the conference. But Purdue already lost their first Big Ten game against Northwestern a few nights ago. A win against the Badgers gives us an early one-game lead in the standings against two teams that are our biggest competition in the conference.

Can Izzo and Michigan State get it done once again? We have had an up-and-down start to the year, but if we play to our potential we can get it done. I also hope the “let down” effect is in full force for Wisconsin after their massive win against Marquette.