As the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament held at Madison Square Garden , MSU faced Wisconsin in the quarterfinals on March 2 following the Badgers ' win over Maryland the day before . In the second meeting between the two teams in five days , the Spartans took the early lead and led the majority of the first half , but , as in their last meeting , the Badgers kept the game close . A 32 – 28 halftime lead for the Spartans preceded a second half where the lead shifted back and forth . Miles Bridges scored 20 for the Spartans while Cassius Winston added 17 . With 20 seconds remaining in the game and the Spartans leading by three , the Badgers could not get off a good shot as the Spartan defense limited them to a long three-point attempt which fell short . The 63 – 60 win , the Spartans eighth straight year with at least a win in the Big Ten Tournament , moved the Spartans to the semifinals to face Michigan
Big Ten Tournament
2018 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2017–18 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team