MADISON, Wis. — Michigan State basketball’s slow road starts are becoming a major problem. Enough to drag the Spartans out of first place again.
They fell behind by 29 in their loss at Purdue. They trailed by 15 at Indiana. This time, it was Wisconsin’s turn to put them in a big hole early, with No. 14 MSU’s frantic second-half comeback attempt not enough to stave off a 64-63 defeat Saturday at Kohl Center.
The Spartans cut a 19-point lead down to three with a 17-2 burst early in the second half. But Xavier Tillman, who struggled offensively all day, missed a pair of layups around the basket and an alley-oop attempt with a chance to cut it further.