Five Takeaways: Michigan State beats Wisconsin, advances to Big Ten Tournament semifinals

Survive and advance! The Spartans upset the Badgers to move on the the Big Ten Tournament

Michigan State's offense came to life in the second half, and the 7-seed Spartans upset 2-seed Wisconsin to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

The first half was a complete rock fight, as both teams struggled mightily on offense. Michigan State was especially disciplined and stout defensively, limiting the Badgers to a 24 percent shooting effort in the first 20 minutes. 

Unfortunately, Michigan State wasn't much better on offense, and held just a 24-22 lead at the break after shooting 33 percent from the floor. The Spartans allowed eight offensive rebounds for Wisconsin, and were fortunate to surrender just four second-chance points.

The second half was a different story, as both teams looked much more fluid at the offensive end. Michigan State shot 58 percent in the second half and, more importantly, had just one turnover after halftime. That allowed the Spartans to put a little bit of distance between themselves and Wisconsin. 

The Badgers never went away, but Michigan State got some big buckets from Tyson Walker down the stretch to pull out the victory.

1. Spartans lockdown Johnny Davis

The Spartans were excellent in their defense of Big Ten Player of the Year Johnny Davis, who scored 25 in each of the first two meetings against Michigan State. The sophomore was held to four points after going 1-of-10 from the floor with two turnovers in the first half, and finished the game with 11 points on 3-of-19 shooting and three turnovers. Five of Davis' points came from the free throw line, and he went 0-for-5 from three-point range.

Give a ton of credit to Max Christie and AJ Hoggard, who were Davis' primary defenders tonight. Gabe Brown was switched on to Davis at times on defense too, and he did an admirable job. Big men Marcus Bingham Jr. and Julius Marble did an excellent job with their help side defense tonight too. Total team effort in slowing down Davis tonight.

2. Marble and Bingham Jr. own the post

Marcus Bingham Jr. was brilliant in the second half tonight, and probably had his best game since early January. The senior tied a career-high in scoring with 19 points, and made it a double-double with 11 rebounds. Bingham Jr. was also a terror on the defensive end, with three blocked shots and a steal. In addition, Julius Marble was his reliable self tonight as well. The junior had eight points, all in the first half, and he was stout on the defensive end as well. Marble added four rebounds two steals to his stat line. We've been waiting quite some time for this version of Bingham Jr. to reemerge, and it is happening at the right time. With Marble's consistency, Michigan State has a nice one-two punch from its center position if play like this continues into March.

3. MSU cold from deep, saved at the FT line

One night after shooting 47 percent from long range against Maryland, the Spartans were ice cold from the perimeter tonight. Michigan State shot just 1-of-11 from beyond the three-point line. Joey Hauser provided the only triple of the game for the Spartans, while Malik Hall  went 0-for-3 and Brown and Walker each went 0-for-2. Luckily, Michigan State was able to get to the free throw line early and often, and it paid major dividends. The Spartans were 18-of-24 from the charity stripe. Christie went 4-of-4 from the line, while Walker and Bingham Jr. each went 5-of-7. Marble and Hoggard went 2-for-2, but Hall was 0-for-2.

4. Too many offensive rebounds, but Spartans protect the rock

We discussed and re-discussed the turnover issue that plagued Michigan State at the end of the game against Maryland last night. With that context in mind, it was impressive the way that the Spartans protected the rock tonight. MSU finished the game with just seven giveaways, including only one after halftime. Wisconsin only scored two points off MSU turnovers.

If that's the positive takeaway, the negative would be how many offensive rebounds that Michigan State allowed. The Badgers grabbed ten offensive boards tonight, but the Spartans did well to only give up four second-chance points off them. That's something that MSU still needs to clean up, but give their defense credit for not allowing the extra chances cost the Spartans the game.

5. On to the Semifinals!

Michigan State advances to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for a conference record 16th time with this victory. The Spartans will face the winner of the Purdue-Penn State matchup. This was a big victory for Michigan State in relation to their NCAA Tournament bid. The general consensus heading into the Big Ten Tournament was that the Spartans would be an 8-seed, but MSU was within striking distance of a 7-seed and may have clinched that by beating Wisconsin. Obviously, the Spartans aren't thinking about that now, they are worried about winning a Big Ten Tournament title.