Wisconsin @ Michigan St. preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2019 ) Michigan St 67, Wisconsin 59

Top-seeded Michigan State looks to take the next step towards a Big Ten Tournament title when it faces fourth-seeded Wisconsin in the semifinal round Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. The No. 7 Spartans won their third straight with a 77-70 victory over Ohio State in Friday's quarterfinals, while the No. 19 Badgers notched their fourth consecutive win with a 66-62 decision over Nebraska.

Guard Cassius Winston (18.9 points, 7.5 assists) has been perhaps the most dominant player in the Big Ten this season, though coach Tom Izzo admitted that Winston hurt his toe in the regular-season finale against Michigan, leading him to play the junior just 22 minutes against Ohio State. The Spartans got a big boost for the Big Ten Tournament with the return of junior forward Nick Ward, the team's second-leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, who looked solid in scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting against the Buckeyes. Wisconsin relies on senior forward Ethan Happ, the team's leader in points (17.4), rebounds (10.3), assists (4.7) and steals (1.1), though Happ struggled in the win over Nebraska, finishing with just four points and seven turnovers. Badgers guards D'Mitrik Trice (11.8 points, 73 3-pointers) and Brad Davison (10.9, 52) will need to be on their games against the Michigan State defense that will likely try not to double-team Happ and leave them for open looks from the perimeter.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (26-6): With Winston getting a lot of defensive pressure, Izzo has worried about his floor leader wearing down, especially in tournament play with games being played on successive days. That's why Friday's offensive eruption by freshman point guard Foster Loyer -- a career-high 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range -- was big for the Spartans, allowing Izzo to play Winston well below his average of 33.2 minutes per contest. Loyer showed a confidence that he hasn't had much in his first collegiate season, but Izzo felt comfortable enough to play the freshman a career-best 18 minutes and will likely try to get him on the floor more often the rest of the postseason.

ABOUT WISCONSIN (23-9): While the Badgers have relied on their top three scorers -- Happ, Trice and Davison -- for much of the season, the team's role players who came through in a big way against Nebraska, giving coach Greg Gard a scoring boost when the team needed it most. Senior forward Khalil Iverson and sophomore forward Nate Reuvers each scored 14 points, while sophomore forward Aleem Ford added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. That will be the kind of depth the team will need against a Michigan State team that held the Badgers to 21 second-half points in their only other meeting this season. Wisconsin finished 6-of-20 from 3-point range in that 67-59 loss, allowing the Spartans to pack in their defense to focus on Happ, forcing him into six turnovers in the Badgers' only loss in their final seven home games.

TIP-INS

1. The Spartans and Badgers met for the championship in 2015, the last time the Big Ten Tournament was played at the United Center, with Wisconsin winning the only title game to go to overtime.

2. Over the last six seasons, Wisconsin has gone 30-9 (76.9 percent) in the month of March, the best winning percentage among Big Ten teams.

3. Izzo earned his 600th career coaching victory with the win over Ohio State.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 72, Wisconsin 66