Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers Look to Bounce Back Against MSU
By Tyler Hunt
Wisconsin Basketball Looks to Get Back in the Swing Against Michigan State
To say the Wisconsin Basketball team has been struggling would be an understatement of epic proportions. The Badgers have lost three of four games in the past two weeks, and the ship is starting to sail in the wrong direction in the absolute wrong time of the season. With a lineup stacked with experience and veteran presence this is the time of the year that you would normally expected a team laden with talent to be hitting its stride headed into March. Unfortunately, that is not the case and the Badgers will have to look to get off the mat today and attempt to get back into the Big Ten Race, but also trending back upward in the March Madness Bracket.
Over the course of the last two weeks the Badgers have trended downward in both the Big Ten Standings and the overall Seeding in March, slipping from a 4 seed a few weeks ago in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology Preview, down to a possible 6 seed when the updated bracket is released on Monday morning. As for the Big Ten standings, things are looking a bit better for Wisconsin as leader Purdue fell yesterday afternoon to a tough Michigan team scrapping to make their final push to make in into the Big Dance come March.
With the Purdue loss, the Badgers will have to strike now to possibly win the up and down Big Ten, needing to win out to have any realistic shot at winning the Big Ten Regular Season and clinching the #1 seed as the Badgers head to Washington DC for the Big Ten Tournament. That being said, its been proven that anything can happen this season in Big Ten Basketball, and with teams hungry on their schedule the Badgers will have to come ready to play in their last three contests.
Next: Can the Badgers Right the Ship Before March?
Two of the three remaining opponents are already comfortably in the Big Dance in Minnesota and Iowa, barring a collapse. However Wisconsin’s opponent on Sunday is currently sitting as one of the last four teams in according to Joe Lunardi of ESPN. While the Badgers have much to play for, Michigan State is playing for their postseason lives, which could be an even bigger driving factor in a Tom Izzo team. The Spartans always play their best basketball this time of the year, so the winner of this contest could be a major boost in their end of season goal.