Spartans Welcome Back their Old Nemesis Bo Ryan to the Breslin Tonight

Tonight the Spartans tip off against their old nemesis the Wisconsin Badgers. The Spartans come in 11-3 on the season with a 1-0 record in the Big Ten. The

Tonight the Spartans tip off against their old nemesis the Wisconsin Badgers. The Spartans come in 11-3 on the season with a 1-0 record in the Big Ten. The Badgers are 12-2 and 2-0 in the Big Ten.

 

Those are nice numbers, but lets get down to the real thing, the rivalry. “We know all about how they came in here and took a Big Ten title from a previous team. They tell us and we know,” was how Draymond Green talked about the game. “We know that this goes back a long ways. We respect how they are coached and how they play, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t a rival,” was Delvon Roe’s thoughts on the game.

 

Perhaps no one on the team understands or has a more personal connection to this rivalry than Korie Lucious who is from Wisconsin. “They didn’t really make a big push for me,” was Lucious comments on his recruitment. Lucious made it clear to Bo Ryan when he committed early to MSU that he wasn’t interested in being a Badger. “They knew I was a Spartan and that they didn’t need to waste their time.”

 

To the Badgers credit, like them or love them you have to respect him. Ryan is an excellent coach who gets the most out of his talent. It is a testament to his Badgers that he has elevated their program to the point of being a rival.

 

Tom Izzo comments this week said it best. When asked if they still were rival to his Spartans, a big smile crossed his face and he assured the entire room that, “They are.”

 

Tonight’s match up will bring a great test, and being that it is an in conference game it is even more crucial. Delvon Roe needs to have a good game. He has not been the Delvon that we had become accustom to this season in the last two games, but he is fine. “I think that you have to learn that your last game, good or bad, can’t have any impact on your next. He’s right.

 

The Spartans as a unit have yet to have their best game of the year and that should scare the Badgers. When these two play it is a rivalry game and records don’t count. These two teams respect one another, but they don’t like each other.

 

Tonight’s early tip off at the Breslin will make for an exciting game and one that the Spartans should find themselves winning when the final whistle sounds. Korie Lucious said it best, “This is a real big game, real big, and I can’t wait for it.” Neither can we Korie.