Michigan State Basketball: Takeaways from Spartans’ loss to Wisconsin

The Michigan State Spartans find themselves in a tough spot dropping to 4-4 on the season following a tough loss to Wisconsin.

Tom Izzo and the Spartans came into the 2023-2024 season with championship expectations on the line. For many fans, that shine has worn after a rough first month of the season. Following a loss to James Madison, many then felt like the loss was more or less a product of JMU being a great team and Michigan State Basketball having some early season growing pains.

One month and three additional losses later, it feels like the public perception of the team is much different, but is that perception accurate and where does this team truly lie in the landscape of college basketball currently?

Well the Spartans game against Wisconsin while not great, certainly helps answer those questions for better or for worse as we look at some key takeaways in their most recent game.

1. Where is the ceiling?

A repetitive theme in college basketball is the high level of parity that exists. In other words, on any given night, a highly rated team could lose and/or an unlikely opponent could be the victor. This “anything can happen” precedent is part of what makes college basketball so exciting for many fans. That being said, four losses in eight games is different from a fluke game here or there.  Now their four losses have come to ranked teams in JMU, Duke, Arizona, and now Wisconsin. You could tee this up to a really tough schedule for a team that is bouncing back and needs time.

Tom Izzo typically has his Spartans in good shape come March no matter what he’s working with, so there certainly is an element of improvement to be seen. However, this is not the start they had anticipated, and for what its worth it seems like the ceiling hasn’t been found just yet. They haven’t been able to beat ranked teams, but do play some top contenders like Duke and Arizona very close throughout.

Their loss to James Madison came off a historically bad performance from three going just 1-20. And to some extent, their wins have usually been dominant and their losses close until tonight. Wisconsin has shown to be different from their usually slower paced tempo and have ran away from opponents on occasion. If a few shots go in their favor, this program has an entirely different conversation around them, and likely things will even out as the season goes on. There is a chance it doesn’t but the Spartans should still find themselves towards the middle or top of the Big Ten.