Coming off their most impressive win of the season thus far — a 13-point victory on the road against then-No. 2 Maryland — the Wisconsin men’s basketball team has yet another difficult test against No. 8 Michigan State as they look to earn their eighth straight victory Thursday in East Lansing.

The Badgers (16-9 overall, 8-4 Big Ten) currently find themselves in fourth place in the conference, but with the Spartans (21-5, 8-5) and UW both just 2.5 games out of first place in the Big Ten standings, Thursday’s game has major implications on conference seeding going forward.

East Lansing, however, has been a dangerous place for the Badgers who haven’t won there since 2004, and this trip to the “Izzone” won’t be any easier than those over the last 12 years.

Men’s basketball: Happ’s game-winning layup pushes Wisconsin over No. 4 Michigan State

Last time out

Wisconsin’s victory over Maryland last weekend wasn’t just a victory, it was absolute domination against one of the best home-court advantages in all of college basketball. And the Badgers 70-57 trouncing of the Terrapins showed this team is capable of matching up with any program in the country.

The Badgers continued to ride the hot hand of junior forward Vitto Brown, who has experienced a resurrection of sorts in his last three outings, averaging 17.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in that span. His team-high 21 points and seven rebounds against Maryland was the best performance of his career.

Wisconsin’s keys to victory

• Keep firing from the perimeter: The Badgers have hit 36 threes over their last three games and are hitting 51 percent of those outside shots over that span. There is no reason to believe UW can’t keep up this hot shooting, as they have proven they can do it even in the toughest road environments. This doesn’t mean, however, that Wisconsin should settle for outside shots, as it has been their play from the inside-out that has allowed the three-pointers to continue to fall.
• Limit MSU’s Denzel Valentine as a playmaker: The senior forward, averaging 19.5 points per game this season, is one of the most dangerous players in the country with his ability to score from the outside and inside. But what is overlooked is Valentine’s ability to distribute and make plays on the offensive end. Valentine is currently averaging 7.1 assists per game and the Spartans are at their best when he is getting his teammates involved. At this point, the opposition accepts that Valentine is going to get his points, but if the Badgers can slow the All-American from getting his teammates so frequently involved, it will ease their defensive burden.

Michigan State player to watch: Senior forward Matt Costello

While Valentine would be the obvious choice, Costello will be the x-factor in Thursday’s matchup coming off his best performance of the season, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the team’s victory over Indiana Sunday.

Costello also destroyed the Badgers in Michigan State’s loss in mid-January, recording 18 points and 13 rebounds in the outing. But UW has become a lot stronger defensively on the interior over the past month and will look to prevent the Spartan in the middle from having another big day.