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Michigan State Basketball faces Wisconsin this Friday, Jan. 17. The Spartans are coming off a brutal loss at Mackey Arena to Purdue, 71-42. Wisconsin is currently 10-6 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten Conference play.
Here are three things to watch in this game:
Nate Reuvers
Nate Reuvers is without a doubt the best player on Wisconsin’s roster. He averages 13.7 points per game which ranks him no. 15 in the Big Ten in points per game. Reuvers also snags 5.4 rebounds per game as well. He scored a season-high 22 points against the Milwaukee Panthers. He also scored 17 points against Ohio State on Jan. 3.
Reuvers also leads his team in blocks with 2.1 blocks per game. He plays at a high-level on both ends of the court. Nate Reuvers even shoots over 78% from the free-throw line. Note, he does average 2.1 turnovers a game. MSU can force Reuvers to make mistakes.
Three-Point Shooting
Wisconsin is currently fifth in the Big Ten in three-point shots attempted per game with 24. They also rank seventh in the Big Ten in three-point shots made per game with 7.8. Furthermore, Wisconsin is sixth in total three-point shots attempted with 376 on the season.
Three-point shots bury you quickly in the modern NCAA. Michigan State sometimes struggles to defend against three-point shots. Purdue hit 8/22 from deep and got hot beyond the arc. Earlier this season, Virginia Tech did the same thing to the Spartans. Three-point shooting can really swing this game for Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s Guard Rotation
Wisconsin boasts a scrappy Guard rotation featuring Kobe King and Ben Davidson. Kobe King averages 10.9 points on 50% shooting from the floor along with 3 rebounds per game. He just scored an impressive 21 points against Illinois, shooting 50% from beyond the arc as well. Ben Davidson leads Wisconsin in steals with 1 steals per game.
D’Mitrik Trice, brother of Travis Trice, leads Wisconsin in assists with 3.2 per game. He also scores 9.4 points per game. He completes Wisconsin’s Guard rotation and provides craft playmaking.
Michigan State Basketball faces Wisconsin this Friday at 7 P.M. on FS1.
Stay with us on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.
