It might not be 70 degrees and sunny this time around, but I will venture to say that it wont be any colder inside the Kohl Center tomorrow afternoon than it was the last time a top-ranked Buckeye team tried to get a W in Madtown.
Despite the little matter of having to survive a road scare in Iowa City on Wednesday night, there is no doubt that this Wisconsin team, along with the rest of the Badger nation, has had this one on the mind all week.
Ohio State is a behemoth. A Naismith candidate in freshman big man Jared Sullinger, a trio of veteran stars in Jon Diebler, William Buford, and David Lighty, and a not-so-unimportant freshman point guard in Aaron Craft who has had a knack for coming up big when the Buckeyes need him most.
As much as I hate to admit it, OSU doesnt have a weakness. They have a young star, they have the experience to support him, they can shoot the ball, play physical defense, run the floor, slow it down, and by the way, they are one of the most disciplined teams in college basketball.
Even with two of the best players in the country, UW will have to play a flawless game to come out of the Kohl Center with their 16th straight home win.
But as poor as the chances might seem on paper, the key to this matchup is pure and simple: Its in Madison.
Though far from alone, Ohio State has struggled in Madison since the opening of the Kohl Center. The Buckeyes, despite having several highly-ranked squads, hasnt won in Madtown since December 31, 2000, a full year before Bo Ryan took the reins of the Badger program. Add in the fact that no ranked Wisconsin team has lost to Ohio State at home and you can see why many already believe that the mismatch on paper wont necessarily translate into reality.
With the season now hitting its apex, there should be no shortage of emotion in a packed Kohl Center tomorrow afternoon. For OSU, the obvious motivation to stay undefeated should have them charged up to prove those final naysayers wrong and extend what is already the longest winning streak to start a season following the loss of a National Player of the Year.
But for this Badger program, Saturday is an opportunity to make a statement. For a team barely included in the preseason top 25, the chance to take down #1 and move to 19-5, in an outside position for a top seed in the tournament, there really is nothing to lose and everything to gain for Wisconsin.
Despite the history between these two programs, a history that dates back to Ohio State's 25-22 win in 1905, Saturday is all about the guys on the floor. Star power, media attention, a pumped-up student section: This is what college sports are all about.
So is is gametime yet?
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