With 4:11 to spare in the second half, Wisconsin big man Steven Crowl flipped in an up-and-under, acrobatic hook on the left block. His bucket extended the Badger advantage to five, and despite appearing stagnant at times, Greg Gard’s offensive schemes prevailed for nearly the entire contest.
To almost no surprise, though, UW’s lack of movement and dependency on both Crowl and Chucky Hepburn allowed Tom Izzo’s Spartans to capitalize on empty possessions.
Prior to Tuesday’s match against Michigan State, Wisconsin boasted a 6-2 mark in games decided by five points or fewer.