East Lansing — The last time Michigan State played Wisconsin, things looked far different for both teams.
The Spartans were in the midst of a season-long three-game losing streak and the Badgers had started the Big Ten season 1-4 as interim coach Greg Gard was getting his feet under himself following Bo Ryan’s retirement.
Since then, each team has righted the ship, and for Wisconsin, things couldn’t be better. It has won seven straight and handed Maryland its first conference home loss last weekend.
“They may be the hottest team in the nation,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.