University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team (14-16, 7-10 Big Ten) will take on Michigan State (27-3, 15-2 Big Ten) Sunday to finish their regular season.
The Badgers fell to the Spartans in their first contest, but are currently riding a hot streak in recent games. While they struggled to finish close matchups in the beginning of the season, the Badgers have proven in their past few games that when they have a lead, they can hold it.
Michigan State’s duo of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges will test Wisconsin’s defensive abilities in this matchup. While Ethan Happ contained Jackson in the last contest to only 11 points, guard Bridges lit Wisconsin’s defense up for 24 points shooting 8-13 from the field and 4-6 from three.
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For the Badgers, this contest will be the team’s final test before the Big Ten Tournament begins and the last game they play in the Kohl Center this season.
Graduating players Aaron Moesch, Matt Ferris and TJ Schlundt will all be celebrated on UW’s senior night as they play their final games in Madison.
Moesch, the only remaining Badger from both final four appearances, had some advice for the younger players on the team.
“The mindset can’t change from the moment you walk on campus to the moment you leave. Just to be able to say the last five years that I showed up every day at practice did my job tried my hardest left it all on the floor is something I try to embody. Cause I’m not the most physically gifted athlete in the world. I’m not going to go and out jump people that’s just the way I was built,” Moesch said. “So to be able to make up for that with trying to play a little smarter, a little harder and leave it all on the floor is something I take pride in.”
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While Moesch registered few minutes in his first four years on the program, the senior’s hard work is finally paying off. Moesch has been a solid bench presence averaging 6.5 minutes a game this year, nearly double his previous season high of 3.7. What has been most impressive though is his reliability in these minutes, shooting 78 percent from the field and 93 percent from the free throw line.
As a fifth-year senior, Moesch is the longest tenured Badger on the roster right now. Acknowledging that this is a very youthful team, Moesch does his best to lead by example with his work ethic off the court and in practice.
“None of the young guys are going to look up and say that guy he scored like crazy. If the guys learn anything from me, it doesn’t just always happen in games, it happens in practice. And you have to bring it every day in practice. Practice is how you prepare for games. So the way you practice is the way you play,” Moesch said.
Tipoff begins at 12 p.m. from Madison with live coverage available on CBS.
