Tom Izzo and Michigan State secured a tough win over Wisconsin 69-65 Tuesday night on the road. The Spartans did so by leaning on its veterans to move to 4-1 in conference play.

Michigan State received a team-high 20 points on 6-of-8 from the floor from senior Joey Hauser and 10 points from junior A.J. Hoggard. The Spartans also got 11 rebounds from junior center Mady Sissoko and 8 points from senior forward Malik Hall.

The Spartans went on a roll late in the game to get past the Badgers in Madison. Michigan State finished the contest by making 8 consecutive shots.

After the game, Izzo credited Hoggard as “the man” for his late-game performance and credited the group of veterans as the deciding factor in the game. Izzo also said “experience matters,” and that’s no surprise considering the depth of solid teams in the B1G.

 

The Spartans are now tied with Purdue inside the conference. Michigan State has now won seven consecutive games with Illinois next on the road.

The Spartans will face Purdue at the Breslin Center on Martin Luther King Day. The way Michigan State has played, it could be a huge momentum shift if the Spartans were able to take out the Boilermakers.