Michigan State's Trey Fort moves the ball against Cornell during the first half on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Preview: MSU's Interesting Test at Wisconsin

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 8:43 AM ET

One of the longer breaks for Michigan State basketball this season is about to end.

Tenth-ranked MSU has had five days to rest and prepare after last Saturday's win against then-No. 5 Illinois. Now, the Spartans (20-4 overall, 10-3 Big Ten) are back in action for an interesting matchup against Wisconsin (17-7, 9-4) on the road in Madison.

Just like Michigan State is, the Badgers are coming off an overtime win against the Fighting Illini, too. Wisconsin went into Champaign and took Illinois down, 92-90, on Tuesday night. The Badgers also have a win at now-No. 2 Michigan, so elite opponents don't seem to scare them very much.

Here's how you can watch this interesting matchup between MSU and Wisconsin:

TV Info

Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tip-Off: 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT, local)

Channel: FOX

Announcers: Jason Benetti (play-by-play); Steve Smith (analyst)

Radio Info - Spartan Media Network

Lansing: WMMQ (94.9 FM), WJIM (1240 AM)

Detroit: WJR (760 AM)

Grand Rapids: WBFX (101.3 FM)

Other radio stations from around the state of Michigan can be found RIGHT HERE.

SiriusXM: Channels 106 or 195 or on the SiriusXM app.

Announcers: Will Tieman (play-by-play); Matt Steigenga (color analyst); Zach Surdenik (host)

More on Wisconsin, Friday's Matchup

Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

What has been interesting about UW's season is how up and down it has been. The Badgers' road victories over the Wolverines and the Fighting Illini are two of the best wins in the country, but those are actually their only Quad 1 victories, with Wisconsin having a 2-6 Q1 record for the whole season and currently being ranked 37th in the NCAA's NET rankings.

For some additional reference, Michigan State doesn't have a win really even close to the quality of those two elite wins for Wisconsin, but the Spartans currently have a 7-3 record during Quad 1 opportunities.

There is also a "Quad 1-A" classification, too, which is the upper half of Q1. MSU is 2-3 in those opportunities, its wins being against Illinois and now-No. 11 North Carolina. Getting a win on the road against Wisconsin, a projected 8 or 9 seed currently, would be a nice addition to the Spartans' resume.

Wisconsin has two key guards to know. Point guard Nick Boyd leads the team in scoring and ranks fifth in the Big Ten at 20.2 points per game. Two-man John Blackwell, a Michigan native, also solidifies the Badgers' backcourt --- he averages 18.7 points per game (eighth in the Big Ten).