[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]CHICAGO — For the third time in 17 days, the No. 3-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will face the Michigan State Spartans. And after two close games, it's understandable if some of the UW players aren't exactly hyped to see MSU once again come Friday.

"I'm kind of getting sick and tired of seeing the green and white," UW senior guard Kammron Taylor said. "But whatever we have to do to get to the championship — we're just going to have to get after them."

Michigan State, the No. 7 seed, advanced to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament Thursday with a 62-57 win over Northwestern, as Wisconsin rested with the bye that comes with being the No. 2 seed. MSU's (22-10 overall, 8-8 Big Ten) victory sets up a grudge match with UW (27-4, 13-3) Friday evening.

Wisconsin and Michigan State split the regular season series with each team winning on its respective home floor. However, this matchup will come on a neutral site at the United Center in Chicago.

Nevertheless, both the Badgers and Spartans are expecting a gritty, hard-fought game similar to the first two contests.

"They were both great games — they came to down to the wire," Spartans guard Drew Neitzel said. "It's two great teams battling it out."

Neitzel scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting (5-of-7 from 3-point range) against Northwestern Thursday and figures to be a tough matchup for Wisconsin once again.

"I really don't want to have to guard [Neitzel] again; I don't know if Mike does," UW head coach Bo Ryan said of junior guard Michael Flowers, a Big Ten all-defensive team selection who had the assignment of guarding Neitzel the first two games.

Those first two games against the Badgers saw Neitzel average 25 points and five 3-pointers made per game. With his recent success against Wisconsin, Neitzel is hoping he can do much of the same this time around.

"[Flowers] is a great defender, but at the same time I've had some good games against him this year," Neitzel said. "He's challenged me. None of my shots have been easy, and I think it's going to be another tough game [Friday]."

But whereas the Badgers may be sick of matching up with the pesky Spartans, Michigan State welcomes the idea of facing a team it has had recent success against.

Following the 64-55 upset victory over then-No.1 Wisconsin in the first meeting, Michigan State lost by only two points the second game as the Badgers needed some late-game heroics by Taylor to capture the 52-50 win.

After surviving a late Northwestern run Thursday afternoon, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo knows he has little to do to get his team familiar with Wisconsin for Friday's game.

"We need to get as much rest as we can possibly get," Izzo said after the Northwestern game. "The nice thing is I don't think we don't need a lot of prep time — we just played [Wisconsin]."

And Izzo rejects the notion that his team needs to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. He thinks Michigan State did enough in the regular season — namely in its most recent performances against Wisconsin — to make the Big Dance.

"I thought our merit of work was earned before we came here; I really did," Izzo said. "If you look at what we've done, I continually say our effect on what we did in the Big Ten, I think it is and was enough.

"But you never know."

Either way, both Wisconsin and Michigan State know Friday's second-round game will be a solid game.

"It's been a great rivalry, especially in the Big Ten," Neitzel said. "So I think it's going to be a great game."