East Lansing — Michigan State entered Thursday night’s game with plenty still at stake in the regular season.
With just four games left after facing the Badgers, the Spartans are pushing to finish in the top four in the Big Ten to earn a bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and for seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
It has No. 8 Michigan State approaching the final couple of weeks much like it would the postseason. It’s not exactly win or go home, but the stakes are much higher.
And with Iowa losing at Penn State on Wednesday to create a three-team tie atop the standings with three losses, at least playing its way into a share of the regular-season title isn’t as far-fetched as it once seemed.