By The No. 15 Michigan State Spartans (13-4, 5-1 Big 10) welcome the Wisconsin Badgers (11-6, 4-2 Big 10) to Jack Breslin Student Events Center as they try to lengthen their six-game home winning streak. The game begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, January 17, 2020.
Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan State Spartans ATS Prediction
The Badgers will be looking for similar success after edging the No. 17 Maryland Terrapins in their last game, 56-54. Wisconsin’s 11.8 turnover percentage was their largest strength over Maryland, who had a mark of 21.0. The Badgers’ mark was better than their season average of 15.0, while the Terrapins’ was above their season average of 15.7. Wisconsin rallied around Nate Reuvers, who was the team’s leading scorer with 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting.
In the Spartans’ last outing, they were blown out by the Purdue Boilermakers, 71-42. Purdue’s turnover percentage was their largest strength over Michigan State. The Boilermakers had a rate of 8.5 (better than their season average of 15.1), while the Spartans posted a mark of 25.1 (above their season average of 15.1). With eight points and eight rebounds, Michigan State’s Xavier Tillman had a good performance.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. The Spartans are among the NCAA’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking 17th in offensive rebounding percentage at 35.6 percent. Meanwhile, Wisconsin ranks 39th in the NCAA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebounding percentage of 76.0 percent. Also, the Badgers rank 40th in turnover percentage (16.8 percent), while the Spartans rank 328th in opponents’ turnover percentage (16.6 percent).
After the Spartans won both meetings against the Badgers last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the most recent game, Michigan State won 67-55. The Spartans made 12 of their 15 free throws (80.0 percent) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.519 vs. 0.368).
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan State Spartans Odds Pick
Pick: ATS Winner – Michigan State, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Wisconsin ranks 26th in three pointers allowed per game (18.1) while Michigan State ranks 169th (22.8).
The Badgers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 8.4, up from 7.4 for the season.
During their last five games, the Spartans have scored an average of 74.8 points per game (4.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 63.2 points per game (0.9 below their season average).
