Wisconsin knocks off another top-10 team in Michigan State

MADISON, Wis. — Nick Boyd scored 29 points and shot 5-of-7 from 3-point range as Wisconsin trounced No. 10 Michigan State 92-71 on Friday night, marking the second time in four nights that the Badgers have beaten a top-10 team.

Wisconsin (18-7, 10-4 Big Ten) is the first team to post three wins over top-10 squads this season. The Badgers won 91-88 at No. 2 Michigan on Jan. 10 and pulled out a 92-90 overtime victory at No. 8 Illinois on Tuesday.

The Badgers made their first five 3-point attempts in the opening 5½ minutes and never looked back on their way to a surprisingly easy victory that ended with a court storming.

Wisconsin never trailed and led by as many as 24. The Badgers shot 15-of-35 from 3-point range, including 10-of-17 in the first half.

Wisconsin’s 21-point win was its largest against a top-10 team in the AP Poll era (since 1948-49). The Badgers’ only other 20-point win against a top-10 opponent came on Feb. 18, 1989, against No. 5 Illinois (72-52).

Boyd scored 20 of his 29 points in the first half, while John Blackwell had 19 of his 24 in the second half. Nolan Winter added 10 points and 11 rebounds for Wisconsin.

Coen Carr had 19 points to lead Michigan State (20-5, 10-4). Jeremy Fears Jr. had 14 points and 12 assists, but he shot just 3-of-12 from the floor.

Michigan State trailed 24-14 when Spartans center Carson Cooper landed awkwardly on a drive and briefly left the game. The Badgers outscored Michigan State 8-0 while Cooper was out — completing a 15-0 spurt — and led 32-14 when he got back on the floor two minutes later.

The Spartans cut the margin to nine on a couple of occasions after Cooper returned, but Wisconsin built its lead up again and led 51-34 at the break. The margin never dipped below 15 in the second half.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.