The roller coaster of a season Wisconsin (5-5 Big Ten, 18-5 overall) will only get crazier this weekend.
The Badgers, coming off a road win at Illinois, face head coach Tom Izzo and No. 9 Michigan State Sunday at noon.
The Spartans, despite an array of injuries, stand atop the Big Ten conference with an 8-1 record, and their only loss coming from cross-state rival Michigan.
The Badgers will have the difficult task of containing a star-studded roster, with players like guards Keith Appling and Gary Harris.
“They got talent up and down the lineup,” sophomore forward Sam Dekker said. “They can’t out work us, they outwork a lot of their opponents.”
Harris, last year's Big Ten freshman of the year, leads the Spartans in scoring this season with 18.4 points per game and is a projected first round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. By his side is senior leader Appling, who is on the Wooden watch for player of the year and also averages a solid 15 points and five assists per game.
One added threat the Badgers may have to deal with is the return of Michigan State big man Adreian Payne, who has been out with an injury. Payne averaged 16 points per game through his first 15 games played, second on the team to Harris.
Freshman forward Nigel Hayes, one of the few positive points for Wisconsin in recent weeks, will most likely have the task of guarding Payne should he return.
“Adreian Payne is probably considered one of the best ‘bigs’ in our league. It would be a tough task to guard him,” Hayes said. “As I’ve always been saying all year, on the offensive end, I feel like he’ll have a little trouble guarding me as well.”
Hayes has scored double digits in three of Wisconsin’s past four games, including a 14-point performance earlier this week at Illinois.
Sunday’s game will mark Hayes’ first game against the rival and conference power, Michigan State.
“As I’ve been growing up watching collegiate basketball, I’ve seen Michigan State as one of the premier teams in the Big Ten, as well as the country,” Hayes said.
Wisconsin will look to carry the momentum of their last win into Sunday’s game, in what has been somewhat of a rough patch for the Badgers. They have not won back-to-back games since Jan. 8.
“They took it to us twice last year,” said Dekker. “We just have to go out there and play Wisconsin basketball.”
UW holds 13-11 record lead over the Spartans since head coach Bo Ryan started coaching.
