EAST LANSING, Mich. -- You couldn't have blamed Michigan State if they decided to rename their annual "Senior Day" on Sunday against No. 16 Wisconsin.

With the way the game played out and how significant it turned out to be for the Spartans, "Freshman Carrying the Day" was much more appropriate.

In search of another signature win to enhance its NCAA tournament hopes, Michigan State certainly got that in its home-finale, earning an 84-74 win over No. 16 Wisconsin.

The Badgers (22-7, 11-5) were attempting to move into a first-place tie in the Big Ten standings with Purdue, but instead fell behind by a game thanks to an inspired Michigan State team wanting badly to extend its streak of NCAA tournament appearances to 20.

Michigan State (18-11, 10-6) won for the fourth time in its last five games.

"The greatest memory making moment will be that for the next 60 years, you are going to understand when your back is against the wall and your neck is on the line, you can do one of two things," Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. "You can give up or you can grind. We grinded. I'm very proud of them for that."

The biggest reason Michigan State took a big step towards its NCAA tournament goal was the play of its freshmen class, which gave the seniors quite a send-off with their performances.

Despite being limited to 19 minutes because of foul trouble, freshman center Nick Ward outplayed Wisconsin sophomore standout Ethan Happ, finishing with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Freshman forward Miles Bridges scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, freshman point guard Cassius Winston came off of the bench to score 10 points and dish out seven assists, while freshman guard Josh Langford contributed nine points.

The Spartans also got a big lift from sophomore Matt McQuad, who scored 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the field.

A poor free-throw shooting team most of the year, the Spartans made 21 of their 23 attempts from the foul line.

"We have a shell of our team," said Izzo, referring to season-ending injuries to three of the five seniors on the roster. "You know it and I know it. It's been hell on those freshmen and hell on us. But we have handled it. We've survived. It doesn't mean we are done yet. It doesn't mean we are over the hump. It just means we have learned how to deal with some pressure. I have learned a lot from them. I told them this is a learning year for me. I haven't gone through anything like this. I'm proud of them."

Michigan State will play its final two games of the regular season on the road, at Illinois on Wednesday and at Maryland on Saturday.

Michigan State built a 38-28 lead with 3:32 left in the first half, but Wisconsin ended the stanza on a 9-0 run.

The most critical stretch of the second half started with 13:39 remaining, when Bridges joined Ward on the bench with three fouls each and Michigan State leading, 52-46.

Michigan State's role players stepped up at that point, helping the Spartans outscore the Badgers, 11-7, to extend their lead to 63-53 by the time Bridges checked back into the game with 9:03 left.

The Spartans took a 72-59 lead with 5:47 remaining, but Wisconsin answered with a 7-0 run with 4:07 left.

A pair of free throws by Bridges with 2:17 remaining and a 3-point play by Ward with 1:44 left restored Michigan State's lead to double digits at 77-66.

Consecutive baskets by Wisconsin cut Michigan State's lead to 77-70 with 1:18 remaining, but that was as close as the Badgers would get.

Senior Nigel Hayes had 22 points and 11 rebounds and senior Bronson Koenig had 17 points to lead Wisconsin, although Koenig was 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

Senior Zak Showalter added 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting for Wisconsin, which went just 13 of 25 from the free-throw line in losing for the fourth time in five games after winning 17 of 18 games.

"The numbers tell the story," Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said. "To go 13 of 25 from the foul line and not be able to convert there, and go 17 of 36 in the paint, that puts a premium on everything else if you are not able to convert at a higher rate offensively when we are having the ball that tight to the rim. And then they just made plays."

The Badgers will close with home games against Iowa on Thursday and Minnesota on Sunday as they attempt to regroup and catch Purdue.

"The fight was much better today," Gard said. "We just have to get better at converting. That will help our defense."

NOTES: In the final seconds with the game out of reach, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo inserted senior G Eron Harris into the game. Harris, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 18 and limped on the court with a knee brace, just stood by Izzo while Michigan State dribbled down the clock. ... This was the only meeting of the regular season between the Badgers and Spartans. ... Wisconsin freshman G D'Mitrik Trice entered the game as familiar with Breslin Center and Michigan State as could be, given his older brother Travis was a standout at Michigan State who helped lead the Spartans to the Final Four in 2015. ... It was the 10th straight home win for Michigan State over Wisconsin. The last time Wisconsin beat Michigan State in East Lansing was in 2004. ... Michigan State honored graduating seniors G Alvin Ellis, Harris and Matt Van Dyk during a Senior Day ceremony. Michigan State's two other seniors, Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter, didn't play this year and could come back next year on medical redshirts after suffering knee injuries before the season started. ... Michigan State finished the season with a 14-2 record overall at home and 8-1 in conference play. ... Wisconsin finished with a 5-5 record on the road overall and 4-4 in Big Ten play.