Wisconsin Vs. Michigan St: Badgers Patiently Leading Spartans With Slow Half-court Offense

Early on, the biggest problem for the Spartans has been ball control. With half of the first period gone by, they coughed up the rock 6 times, and the Badgers were able to capitalize. Wisconsin is led by their forward Keaton Nankivil, who has hit three for three from the field. Two of those baskets have been from the three point line, and he leads all scorers with 8 points so far. Both teams are crashing the boards and have 10 apiece.

With 6 minutes left in the half, Michigan State went on an 8-0 run, and Wisconsin went for 3 1/2 minutes sans a field goal. The Spartans have been led by their guard Kalin Lucas, who has 6 points and has been creating plays for his teammates. One element of the game that needs to improve for Michigan State, and fast, is their outside shooting. With about 5 minutes to play in the first half, they had made exactly zero three-point shots on five attempts.