Badgers upset Michigan State

“Did we play any differently?” There’s improvements, I see things happening yet, but we’re just not quite there yet. Wisconsin is 299th nationally in three-point percentage allowed; that’s nearly certainly somewhat random but also potentially a good sign for a perimeter-heavy MSU team.

Bronson Koenig scored 27 points and Nigel Hayes added 25 for the Badgers (10-9, 2-4 Big Ten), who trailed 76-72 after Valentine hit a runner for the Spartans (16-3, 3-3). The Badgers may have faltered in the clutch before, but this time they delivered. Koenig provided heroics of his own, as his three-pointer with 28 seconds left in the game brought Wisconsin to within a point.

Khalil Iverson and Happ forced a trap on the sideline, causing Eron Harris to step out of bounds to set up the Badgers for a chance to win.

Koenig then found Happ underneath the basket.

The Badgers mobbed Happ, and the scene in the locker room was much different than it was five days earlier after the loss to Northwestern.

Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes, bottom, Ethan Happ and Michigan State’s Gavin Schilling (34) battle for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Madison, Wis.

“I think the young coach out-coached the old coach”, said Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, and whether that’s true or not is beside the point. Hayes finished with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Koenig contributed 27 points.

On the season, Michigan State basketball averages 79.1 points, 43.0 rebounds and 20.7 assists per game.

Oregon State player trips referee • Oregon State forward Jarmal Reid tripped a referee and was ejected with 2:56 remaining, starting host Utah’s rally, which led to a 59-53 victory. It would have been Spartans ball up four had the foul not been called, but instead Vitto Brown went to the foul line and sliced Wisconsin’s deficit to two with 2:10 to play. “But that had nothing to do with missing the five or six layups we missed”. Hard to condemn anything else or anybody else.

The Badgers hit the road this week, facing Penn State on Thursday in University Park, Pennsylvania. Harris started in place of Bryn Forbes at shooting guard and finished with 14 points. Sophomore Tum Tum Nairn Jr., the Spartans only true point guard, had a boot on his right foot and didn’t play.

This rough stretch also follows Michigan State’s tremendous 13-0 start to the season.

And the Spartans understand it will take a far better effort to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time this season.

IOWA CITY – The 16th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes moved into a tie for first place in the Big Ten with the home win over MI. This game was perhaps Costello’s best game of the season, as he had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Koenig shot 8-of-15 from the field and made all seven of his foul shots.

However, from there, Wisconsin would then use a 12-2 run to take a 41-36 lead into the break.

London Parrantes led Virginia (13-4, 2-3) with 19 points.