Wisconsin-Michigan State headlines Big Ten's Christmas slate

Updated Dec. 24, 2020 2:43 a.m. ET

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A look at the upcoming week around the Big Ten Conference:

GAME OF THE (HOLIDAY) WEEKEND: No. 9 Wisconsin (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) at No. 12 Michigan State (6-1, 0-1): This Christmas Day matinee — one of four Big Ten games taking place Friday — features the teams that shared the league’s regular-season title with Maryland last season. Wisconsin has nine consecutive Big Ten victories but owns a 4-22 record at the Breslin Center. The Badgers had lost eight straight matchups with Michigan State before

LOOKING AHEAD: The Big Ten’s strength is evident from the fact that half of its 14 members are part of the

PLAYER TO WATCH: Minnesota’s Marcus Carr collected 32 points and seven assists in a

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Iowa’s Luka Garza leads the nation in scoring (29.3). He has scored 20-plus points in 17 straight Big Ten games, the longest such streak since Ohio State’s Dennis Hopson also did it in 17 straight games in 1987. … Northwestern is 2-0 in Big Ten competition for the first time since the 2005-06 season. The Wildcats followed their upset of Michigan State by winning 74-67 at Indiana. ... Illinois beat Penn State 98-81 on Wednesday while posting its highest point total in a Big Ten non-overtime game since a 99-57 triumph over Northwestern on March 8, 1995. ... Wisconsin hasn’t exceeded 11 turnovers in 27 consecutive games. The Badgers entered the week having committed the fewest turnovers per game of any Division I team. … Maryland had just four turnovers — its lowest total in Mark Turgeon’s 10-season coaching tenure — during an

ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE: The Big Ten leads all conferences with six schools in the

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