5 Observations: Michigan State overmatched by Big Ten-leader Wisconsin

After winning back-to-back Big Ten games to get back to .500 in conference play, Michigan State had a measuring stick-type game tonight against league-leader No. 13 Wisconsin.

The Spartans fell well short in a 81-66 defeat at the hands of the Badgers. Wisconsin led from start to finish, was more physical, more efficient and just flat better than MSU for 40 minutes tonight in Madison. With this loss, combined with a 70-57 defeat back on Dec. 5, Michigan State was swept by Wisconsin in the regular season for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Here are five observations from a bad night for the Spartans...

1.) Badgers slice up Spartans' defense

Wisconsin has one of the most efficient offenses in all of college basketball, and the Badgers sliced and diced the Spartans' defense in this one. Wisconsin seemingly scored or got fouled on each of their offensive possessions, and that was reflected in the final numbers.

The Badgers shot 51% from the floor, and while they finished just 9-of-25 (36%) from 3-point range, Wisconsin seemed to hit a big one whenever Michigan State got even an inkling of momentum. The Spartans didn't necessarily set the world on fire offensively, but they were solid on that end of the floor tonight, averaging 1.015 points per possession. But, the Badgers' own patient and surgical approach of offensive picked apart Michigan State's defense to the tune of 1.35 points per possession.

2.) Michigan State bullied on the boards

In the first meeting between these teams, the Badgers out-rebounded the Spartans by 14, and Wisconsin had 11 offensive rebounds which they converted into a whopping 19 second-chance points. This week, in preparation for the rematch, head coach Tom Izzo said rebounding would be an added emphasis for MSU in this game.

Talk is cheap, however, and the Spartans once again got bullied on the glass despite trotting out a two-center lineup for much of the first half. Tonight, Wisconsin out-rebounded Michigan State 35-25 total, and the Badgers had 12 offensive rebounds which they converted into 17 second-chance points. With how efficient they are on offense, giving Wisconsin multiple opportunities to score is a death wish, and that's exactly what MSU did in both of these defeats.

The only logical reason (if there is one) for Izzo to play two centers as much as he did tonight would be to control the glass, but that did not happen. I thought MSU stuck with the two-big lineup for much too long when it was clear it wasn't working. When Mady Sissoko and Carson Cooper are on the floor together, that's two of five players at the offensive end who are no threat to generate their own offense. That's just not going to cut it in modern day basketball. Throw in the fact that the two combined for just 10 rebounds in 36 minutes of play, and that just adds insult to injury.

3.) Xavier Booker outscores main center rotation in just 5 minutes

Not to harp on the play of Sissoko and Cooper too much, but how ironic is it that 5-star freshman Xavier Booker sat on the bench for the first 35 minutes of this game, yet still managed to outscore MSU's two main rotational centers combined? Booker had five points, against Wisconsin's starters, in just five minutes of game time. Sissoko had two points in 22 minutes, and Cooper went scoreless in 14 minutes.

Listen, Booker is a skinny, near seven-footer who has struggled to hold his own at times against physical Big Ten opponents. With that understood, the best lesson for the freshman might just be to throw him to the wolves and let that naturally toughen the kid up. Michigan State's big got either out-hustled or bullied by Wisconsin's frontcourt tonight anyway, so maybe let Booker — who is extraordinarily gifted at the offensive end — get a shot to make a bigger impact. Hindsight is 20-20, but it would have been nice to see more of the freshman tonight, and that goes for Coen Carr as well.

4.) Tough night for Tyson Walker

It's been a great individual season for the fifth-year senior, but tonight was a struggle for Tyson Walker. He missed his first four shots of the game, all jumpers, and never got into that rhythm that he often finds in the second halves of games. Walker finished with 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, though he did add five assists and two steals.

As for more positive takeaways, point guard A.J. Hoggard had a solid game and tried to put the Spartans on his back in the second half. The senior had a season-high 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting and added four assists. Likewise, Malik Hall played well again, continuing the best stretch of his career. The senior forward had 13 points, despite dealing with first half foul trouble and getting banged up a bit in the second half. Hall has now scored in double figures in five consecutive games, and seven of the last eight.

5.) MSU is not a championship contender

This may seem like an obvious "observation" given how the season has gone for Michigan State, but the college basketball season is long and oftentimes Izzo-coached teams figure things out as it goes along. There's still a chance these Spartans can do that, but they still seem a long way off of competing for any type of championship this season.

At 4-5 in Big Ten play, Michigan State is a full four games back of Wisconsin and are 0-2 against the Badgers. There's plenty of winnable games left on the schedule, but it's hard to imagine the Spartans making up that kind of ground in the final 11 games. This team is also going to have to play much better to make any noise in March, in either the Big Ten or NCAA tournaments. It can't be overstated how disappointing all this is after Michigan State was ranked No. 4 in the preseason polls.

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