No. 10 Michigan State, Wisconsin collide after OT wins vs. Illinois

Michigan State faces a tough road challenge when the No. 10 Spartans take on Wisconsin in a Big Ten Conference matchup Friday night in Madison, Wis.

Both the Spartans and Badgers are coming off overtime victories against nationally ranked Illinois.

Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) has been idle since an 85-82 OT win over the Fighting Illini on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.

Wisconsin (17-7, 9-4) overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to rally for a 92-90 overtime victory at Illinois on Tuesday, bouncing back from a 78-77 OT loss at Indiana on Saturday.

“This league is not for the faint of heart,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said following the Illinois game. “As I told Brad (Underwood, the Illinois coach,) after the game, he’s got a heck of team, which I knew coming in, but we’re growing into a heck of a team, too.”

Michigan State overcame a nine-point deficit early in the second half to rally past Illinois. Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 22 of his game-high 26 points in the second half and overtime while adding 15 assists to pace the Spartans.

Jaxon Kohler added 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for Michigan State, which hit 20 of 23 free throws. The Spartans also had a 48-38 edge on the boards and a 22-0 advantage on fastbreak points.

“They had won 12 in a row, and we were limping,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “That’s a better team right now, and yet, I thought we played better, and that’s why you play the games on this night. But just think, all the things we’re talking about, and it still took overtime.”

Michigan State, 8-2 away from East Lansing, scores an average of 79.1 points while allowing 65.6. The Spartans also significantly outrebound opponents by a whopping 13.1 per game, the second-best margin in the nation.

Fears averages 9.1 assists, tops in the nation, and 15.1 points per game. Kohler adds 12.8 points and 9.4 rebounds. Coen Carr contributed 11.4 points and Carson Cooper 10.0.

Wisconsin overcame a 68-56 deficit at Illinois in the final nine minutes, then scored the first eight points in overtime. John Blackwell hit the first of two free throws with 5.7 seconds left to make it 92-90, and Illinois missed a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Nick Boyd had 25 points, Blackwell added 24 and Austin Rapp came off the bench for 18 in the victory. The Badgers had 16 3-pointers to improve to 14-2 when hitting 10 or more beyond the arc.

Wisconsin committed only four turnovers compared to Illinois’s 13, leading to a 23-6 advantage in points off miscues.

Wisconsin, which owns a 12-2 home record, is averaging 83.3 points scored and 75.8 allowed. The Badgers are 15-0 when they score at least 80 points.

The backcourt of Boyd and Blackwell went into the Illinois game as one of three high-major duos to both average at least 18.5 points.

Boyd averages 20.2 points and Blackwell 18.7. Nolan Winter adds 13.9 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds with 11 double-doubles.

The recent series has been almost even, with Wisconsin winning six of the past 10. The Badgers won the latest meeting 77-74 in the semifinals of the 2025 Big Ten tournament.

–Field Level Media