In the final matchup before the post-season Big Ten tournament, Michigan State Spartans locked horns with Wisconsin Badgers. The game had moved up to the third quarter when two players engaged in, as the commentator puts it, “a sibling-like smacking”.

The highly-anticipated post-season event for the Big Ten conference is set to take off. The four-day tournament will be hosted at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the championship game to be held on March 10. The intensity of this event is already running high with Michigan State putting Wisconsin Badgers to the ground with a recent 78-52 win. The match saw some friction erupting on the court.

The officials and teammates from both sides came rushing to break off the tussle that was the result of Badgers’ frustration as they were trailing by 22 points from Spartans.

Looking at the season stats, Spartans hold a current record of 22 wins and 7 losses, with their top player Julia Aryault averaging 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Followed by Moira Joiner who is averaging 15 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

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Being the No. 4 seed is a significant leap for Spartans, but what the post-season tourney looks like for the team.

Michigan State joining the post-season battle

The Big Ten post-season action is set to begin on Friday’s quarterfinals. The anticipation is brewing as Spartans will either be facing No. 5 Nebraska, No. 12 Purdue, or No. 13 seed Northwestern in the tournament’s opener.

Expressing his enthusiasm, Spartans’ head coach Robyn Fralick said, “It’s a new chapter to the season. The Big Ten tournament is obviously a different part than regular season and I think we’ve got to continue to do the things we’re good at. We’ve got to keep being who we are at a high level.” 

Notably, Spartans have won at least one game in this tournament in the past three seasons. Hence, this year’s tournament is a big opportunity for the Spartans to win. And if they do, it will be a significant one as they haven’t won since 2005.