Gameday Preview: Ohio State at Wisconsin

February 4th has been circled on calendars throughout Columbus and Madison for a while now. The resumption of perhaps the Big Ten's best basketball rivalry is now upon us and while Wisconsin's 1-3 start had many thinking of selling their tickets, somehow this game is for 1st place in the Big Ten after the Badgers (18-5, 7-3) rattled off six straight since their last loss back on January 8th in Ann Arbor. The  Buckeyes, meanwhile, have also recovered after an uncharacteristically rocky start to conference play. Road losses to Indiana and Illinois had Ohio State (19-3, 7-2) sitting at just 3-2 in conference. Expected to run away with the conference title, Ohio State has not been the invincible team that the so-called experts pegged them to be during the preseason.

Still, OSU is arguably the best team in the country. After dealing with back issues throughout much of the non-conference season and early on in Big Ten play, sophomore forward Jared Sullinger is once again healthy and playing like the All-American he is destined to be. The Columbus native is averaging over 15 points per game during the Buckeyes' four-game winning streak, tearing apart opposing defenses on the interior and opening things up for the OSU guard corps on the perimeter. One of those guards benefitting from Sullinger's resurgence is sophomore Lenzelle Smith Jr. The Zion, Ill native did not play much in his freshman year but has exploded onto the scene in Big Ten play. Despite being held to just two points combined in OSU wins over bottom dwellers Penn State and Nebraska, Smith has been a go-to guy in the Buckeyes' bigger wins, putting up a career-high 28 points against Indiana and following that performance up with a 17 point effort against rival Michigan last Sunday.

While all five Buckeye starters are capable of burning opposing defenses, OSU is not deep by any means. No bench player for Ohio State is averaging over five points per game and the starting five combine to produce a full 79% of the Buckeyes' scoring this season. For comparison, the relatively thin Badger bench has contributed 25% of the UW scoring output. With that in mind, one of the keys to Saturday for UW will be the interior attack, trying to find a way to get OSU starters in foul trouble and off their game. Just as they did with Indiana forward Cody Zeller, the Badgers will certainly make a concerted effort to attack Sullinger on the defensive end. Without Sullinger, Ohio State is very vulnerable, evidenced by their collapse in the first half at Indiana following the big man's 2nd foul.

Regardless of what they are able to do on the defensive end, the Badgers have to hit shots on Saturday to pull off the (minor) upset. With UW and OSU ranking #1 and #2 nationally on the defensive end, it seems that whichever team is able to knock down shots is going to have the upper hand. Wisconsin knows the importance of shooting the ball all too well. Despite surviving a tough day against Nebraska back on January 15th, the Badgers have struggled this year when failing to reach the 40% mark from the field. In fact, when UW shoots 40% or better from the field this season, they are 14-0. When they shoot a better percentage than their opponent, they are also 14-0. Under 40% or worse than the opposition and the Badgers are just 4-5. On the same token, OSU is 18-2 when shooting better than 40% and 19-1 when outshooting that same opponent.

Historically, Wisconsin has shot lights out at the Kohl Center and dominated on their home turf as a result. But this season the vaunted Kohl Center hasnt been such a house of horrors for visiting squads. Marquette snapped the Badgers' 23-game home win streak back on December 3rd, but the biggest chink in the armor came on December 31st when unranked and unheralded Iowa came in and shocked the Badgers in Madison. Michigan State followed that defeat up by handing Bucky a 2nd straight home loss with a 63-60 overtime decision on January 3rd. The three home losses had already tied a single-season high for the Bo Ryan era and Wisconsin had a full seven games remaining.

Never has a Wisconsin team lost four games in one season at the Kohl Center and this year's team does not want to become the first. But to continue being considered among the best in the Big Ten they will have to beat the best Saturday. Ohio State is in town and Madison is ready to roll. Tip off is just a few hours away.

For more UW sports coverage, visit www.dailycardinal.com/sports

Badgers and Buckeyes: The New ‘Big Game’

For years we here in Big Ten land have had to endure the annual media love fest that leads up to the last weekend of the football regular season, the weekend during which Michigan and Ohio State square off in the so-called “Big Game”.  So much a love fest this preclude has become that the weekend itself has become commonly known as “Michigan-Ohio State weekend”.

Forget the fact that there are 53 other games that weekend in FBS alone. The last full weekend of the college football calendar is all about the Buckeyes and the Wolverines.

But in the past few years, that rivalry has gained a rival of its own. While Ohio State was taking advantage of a depleted Michigan program en route to seven straight wins in the series (2004-2010), another Big Ten team was giving those same Buckeyes fits.

From 2003-2010, Wisconsin took half of their matchups with the Buckeyes, all three coming with Ohio State ranked in the top 20 in the nation. On top of that, the Badgers and Buckeyes went back and forth in their series on the hardwood, with UW coming out victorious in 10 of 15 matchups dating back to 2004. During that same stretch, Michigan only beat Ohio State three times out in 17 tries.

So what is the true “Big Game”?

At this point, I would argue that the Wisconsin-Ohio State rivalry is a better one that even that better the Buckeyes and UM.

There is history.

Wisconsin men’s basketball has only beaten a #1 team twice. Both teams were from Columbus.

There is controversy.

Jared Sullinger claiming that a UW student spit at him while the Grateful Red rushed the floor following last year’s 71-67 Wisconsin victory over previously-undefeated OSU.

There is gamesmanship.

Ohio State’s student section rushing the field after beating Wisconsin this past year despite the fact that UW was outside the top 10. Say what you want, that was all about avenging what had happened in Madison the previous year.

And there is plenty at stake.

In 2010, Wisconsin and Ohio State finished tied for the Big Ten conference title (although Ohio State would vacate following the tattoo scandal).

In 2011, Wisconsin and Ohio State both finished in the top three in the conference in men’s basketball, with the Badgers handing OSU one of only two losses in their Big Ten title run.

That fall, Wisconsin came to Columbus still (in hindsight) in the hunt for a potential BCS Championship game bid even after losing on a hail mary the previous weekend in East Lansing. After the Buckeyes repeated that feat at Ohio Stadium, UW’s championship hopes were dashed.

And finally, on February 4^th, 2012, Wisconsin and Ohio State will meet at the Kohl Center with 1^st place in the Big Ten on the line.

The networks might not recognize it, but this is the new “Big Game”. OSU might get the CBS timeslot when they play Michigan, but you have to believe that they circle their trip to the Kohl Center on the calendar well before they would a visit from the Wolverines.

And if you doubt the intensity of this rivalry on the gridiron, just watch the last two games. Not only the games themselves, but the student section reactions afterward.

Michigan and Ohio State seems now to be a rivalry almost exclusively by dictation. On the field, there is not that much different about their matchup than there is a game between Michigan and Nebraska.

Sure, when both teams are good the ghosts of Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler make the OSU-Michigan matchup something special. But in recent years, that hasn’t been the case all that often.

When OSU and Wisconsin meet, you know you are going to see a good game. You know that both teams have plenty to play for, and by plenty I don’t mean a shot at the Gator Bowl.

This new-age rivalry might lack the pageantry of its ancient rival, but if you want to see some intense Big Ten competition, come to Madison when the Buckeyes are in town or Columbus when Bucky visits.

Wisconsin-Ohio State: This is the new “Big Game”. 

For more UW sports coverage, visit www.dailycardinal.com/sports

Badgers and Buckeyes Back At It

Wisconsin and Ohio State might not have the history, but right about now there may not be a better two-sport rivalry in college sports. Saturday’s matchup between the 3^rd-ranked Buckeyes (7-2 Big Ten, 19-3 Overall) and the 19^th-ranked Badgers (7-3 Big Ten, 18-5 Overall) is made that much special with first place in the Big Ten being on the line.

“Obviously it’s a big game. We know the magnitude of it,” UW senior guard Jordan Taylor said. “But you don’t prepare for it any differently.”

Clearly the key for UW is stopping Ohio State sophomore center Jared Sullinger. A future NBA lottery pick, Sullinger leads the Buckeyes with 17.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Though OSU does have shooters on the perimeter, their offensive approach is based upon their ability to get Sullinger the ball in the post.

At the same time, UW junior forward Jared Berggren is slowly gaining a reputation for being one of the best in the business when it comes to neutralizing the nation’s top big men. Berggren has already faced two of the best in brothers Tyler (North Carolina) and Cody (Indiana) Zeller, holding both well below their season scoring averages.

But Sullinger takes the challenge to a whole new level. Possessing the length and size of the Zellers and Illinois big man Myers Leonard, Sullinger adds another dimension in terms of athleticism, fully capable of playing away from the basket as well as he can underneath.

“He is a big kid. He’s wide, uses his feet extremely well underneath the basket,” UW junior forward Mike Bruesewitz said of Sullinger. “Defending a guy like that, you just have to make him work.”

While Berggren has done his best to slow down some big time players down low, the Badgers have done a great job as a team of preventing solid post touches from happening, keeping the scoring opportunities of these big men to a minimum. On Saturday, shutting down post passing lanes will be as important as ever.

“That’s always a part of our defense,” Taylor noted. “We just have to try to make it difficult for everyone on their team.”

In fact, both the Buckeyes and the Badgers have dominated on the defensive end this season. Wisconsin heads into Saturday with the best defense in the country, but Ohio State has crept into the 2^nd spot. In true Big Ten fashion, this seems to point toward yet another grind-it-out type contest: Ugly to the eyes, but basketball at its best.

“Both of us have good down low games and we will be banging a bit,” Gasser said. “We’ve just got to play our game and do what we can control ourselves.”

“Ohio State has definitely embraced {defense} too,” junior forward Mike Bruesewitz said. “They feel that if they play defense they will blow teams out, which they have done.”

During their current six-game win streak, the Badgers have done all the little things necessary to win. They have gotten the big rebounds, found a way to the important loose balls, and made shots when they needed them most. If UW is going add a seventh game to that streak, those little things will have to continue to go Wisconsin’s way.

“We’ve got to get every loose ball, every rebound,” Bruesewitz added. “It might be that the team with the bloodiest jersey ends up with the win.”

Less than four weeks ago Wisconsin was 1-3 in conference and on the verge of missing the NCAA Tournament. With a win Saturday, they will be atop the Big Ten at 8-3 and not only in the NCAA Tournament field, but primed for a potential top two seed. 

For more UW sports coverage, visit www.dailycardinal.com/sports

Ted Porath: Badgers Pass Tough Test in Road Win

The Wisconsin men's basketball team (7-3 Big Ten, 18-5 overall) got its sixth straight win Tuesday night and now stand alone in second place in the Big Ten, but it did not come as easy as maybe one would have suspected against a 12-loss Penn State team.

Penn State came out like a team with nothing to lose in the first half, giving the Badgers all they could handle and taking a 23-17 lead into halftime.

Despite taking the Badgers' best shot, Penn State would not go down without a fight. Leading the charge for the Lions in the second half was junior guard Tim Frazier. The Big Ten's second-leading scorer answered every time it looked like the Badgers were going to pull away, scoring 17 of his game-high 21 in the second half.

With the Wisconsin lead cut down to 40-38, senior guard Jordan Taylor once again stepped up for the Badgers and hit a big three to put the Badgers back up by five. Taylor and the rest of the Badgers hit their free throws down the stretch and Badgers were able to hold on for a 52-46 win.

Taylor finished with a team-high 18 points, with most of them coming in crunch time as he scored 13 of the Badgers last 16 points.

The Badgers' shooting woes reared their ugly head once again in the first half of the game as the Badgers missed 19 of their first 26 shots, including nine of their first 11 three-pointers. Reliance on the outside shot combined with anemic shooting kept the Badgers in single digits for the first 16 minutes of the game.

Penn State on the other hand exploited the normally sound Badger defense in the first half, shooting 46 percent from the field.

Penn State also dominated Wisconsin on the glass as the Nittany Lions outrebounded the Badgers by seven in the first half.

The leading scorer for Penn State in the first half was sophomore guard Jermaine Marshall, scoring 10 points on 5-7 shooting.

Wisconsin turned things around in the second half by making an early emphasis to get the ball inside. By pounding the paint, the Badgers got easy inside shots and regained the lead. Junior center Jared Berggren and junior forward Ryan Evans were instrumental in the Badger comeback, scoring Wisconsin's first 10 second-half points.

The Badgers also shot the ball much better in the second half overall, making 10 of their 22 second-half shots.

Wisconsin returned to form defensively as well, holding Penn State to 7-of-26 shooting.

The Badgers will now gear up for a showdown at the Kohl Center with Big Ten leader Ohio State at 1:00p.m. Saturday. If the Badgers are able to win this game, they will take the outright lead in the Big Ten standings.

One thing is for certain, the Badgers will have to be much more consistent offensively and defensively if they are going to have any chance of beating a team with as much offensive firepower as the Buckeyes.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/daily-cardinal/sports/men-s-basketball-badgers-pass-tough-test-in-road-win/article_9fb4e1a2-4c93-11e1-8eb4-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1l8z0oEOf

Hoosier Daddy

Having already lost three times at home this season, Wisconsin men’s basketball is no longer unbeatable in Madison. Thursday night, however, the Kohl Center remained a house of horrors for Indiana as the 25^th ranked Badgers (6-3 Big Ten, 17-5 Overall) knocked off the No. 16/17 Hoosiers 57-50.

While UW had a tough time getting anything going offensively throughout much of the game, they kept themselves within striking distance by holding an Indiana team that had been averaging just under 80 points per game to a season-low 50. First and foremost, the Badgers stifled the post game of freshman center Cody Zeller, holding the Washington, Ind native to just seven points on 2-of-7 shooting.

Zeller picked up his fourth foul with 5:21 left in the game, a foul that marked the beginning of a 12-4 UW run to close out the game.

“Jared did a great job on Zeller,” senior guard Jordan Taylor said. “Zeller is one of the best players in the country and what he did on him was impressive.”

Not only did UW have to beat one of the top 20 teams in the country on Thursday, in many respects they had to beat themselves. Once again Wisconsin struggled to get good shots to fall down, finishing the game just under 40% from the field and a measly 23.5% from three-point range. What made up for the lack of shots was the Badgers’ ability to get to the line and rebound in the 2^nd half, finishing the game 15-of-19 from the line after making their final 13 free throws.

“The free throws were obviously a byproduct of the rebounds…” junior forward Ryan Evans said. “That’s real encouraging, when you can find a way to win on an awful shooting night.”

As it did last Sunday at Illinois, Wisconsin made the big plays seemingly each and every time the opportunity presented itself. Clinging to just a one-point lead with two minutes left, the Badgers grabbed two big offensive rebounds to ultimately give themselves to the line with a minute remaining. After Evans picked up two of his 12 2^nd half points at the line and Zeller missed with a jump hook, the Badgers had control of the game and the opportunity to ice it after yet another offensive rebound, this time by junior forward Mike Bruesewitz.

“They were big, every single one of them,” Taylor said of the Badgers’ hustle plays. “Mike and Ryan had two massive rebounds at the end there.”

Sophomore guard Ben Brust was back on his game as well. After being largely silent in the 1^st half, the Hawthorn Woods, Ill native woke the crowd with 10 2^nd half points and one huge offensive rebound, leaping into the air to grab a jump ball that had bounced off the floor after a missed jumper. His 3-for-6 shooting from three-point range gave UW a boost it desperately needed on a night when scoring was hard to come by.

“As long as he is on the same side of the court we are on, I would say he has that {green light}…” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “When his shoulders are squared and his feet are set, he tends to shoot the ball a lot better.”

In a season now seemingly defined by gritty efforts, this win was perhaps the scrappiest of the 17 that Wisconsin has managed to pick up so far this season.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, we just had to scrap to the end,” Berggren said. When shots aren’t falling down, you have to battle defensively.”

Having now won five in a row to get within a half-game of the conference lead, the Badgers hit the road for a midweek game against Penn State. Although a marquee matchup in Madison against Ohio State looms on the horizon, the Badgers are focused squarely on the present, fully aware of what got them to this point after being left for dead just a few weeks ago.

 “We knew we had guys that weren’t going to give up easily…” Taylor said. “But every game is huge in the Big Ten and hopefully we can just keep it rolling.”

Indiana Visits The Kohl Center With Badgers Heading Home Hot

It didn’t appear likely a few weeks ago, but Wisconsin men’s basketball returns home for its first post-break game on a four-game winning streak and just a half game out of the Big Ten lead. While it was certainly a welcome sight Sunday when the Badgers (5-3 Big Ten, 16-5 Overall) beat Illinois for their first road win over a ranked opponent since 2008, Thursday’s return to the Kohl Center is no pushover as No. 16/17 Indiana (4-4 Big Ten, 16-4 Overall) looks to hand UW its 4^th home loss for the first time since the 1995-1996 season.

Although the Hoosiers came into the season unranked, their return to national prominence after a three-year drought didn’t come as much of a surprise those who had seen them both on the court and in the recruiting world.

“They had a lot of talent returning…” sophomore guard Josh Gasser said of Indiana. “{Indiana freshman forward Cody} Zeller is a guy that came in and really boosted them over the top.”

While Zeller has come in and immediately made an impact, averaging a team-high 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, it has been the three-point shooting of the Hoosiers that has led them to victories over No.1 Kentucky and No. 2 Ohio State.  Indiana comes into Thursday shooting a Big Ten-best 44.9% from three-point range, bested on the national level only by Creighton’s 45.1% pace. But with the Badgers holding their opponents to a NCAA-best 35.9% from the field, something has to give.

“They have multiple guys who can shoot it, from their bigs to their guards…” Gasser said. “We just have to play to out strengths and keep them out of a rhythm.”

Although seemingly unable to find the bottom of the basket at times, Wisconsin has more than held its own from beyond the arc as well. In 21 games this season, UW has shot 37.5% from three-point range, 3^rd in the Big Ten.

Perhaps more importantly, the Badgers are a perfect 14-0 this season when shooting a better percentage from the field than their opponent, something they will no doubt look to do against Indiana. For UW head coach Bo Ryan, accomplishing that goal is just as much about defensive execution as it is about knocking down shots.

“If you are doing the best you can on {the defensive} end and you are trying to fight through slumps {offensively},” Ryan said. “Then you have a chance.”

One thing that is undeniable is the importance of knocking down free throws. Just one year after nearing setting an NCAA record last season by shooting free throws at an 81.8% clip, the Badgers have struggled mightily by their high standards. Yet, even after shooting just 60.9% over the first seven games of the season and starting Sunday’s win by missing seven of its first nine attempts, UW has managed remain over the 70% mark from the charity stripe. More importantly, Wisconsin has made free throws consistently down the stretch, icing close games at the line in Champaign as well as in West Lafayette. In fact, during the final five minutes of Big Ten games, the Badgers are shooting 78% at the line.

“We have to get back on the free throw line and be confident,” junior forward Mike Bruesewitz said. “We still shoot the ball pretty well there but its not as good as it was last year.”

Despite some bad history for IU basketball at the Kohl Center, there is no doubt that the Hoosiers have made it back to the top.

“Its good for college basketball…” Bruesewitz said. “They’ve knocked off the number one and number two teams in the country and that’s just good for the game in general.” 

But while they are much improved this season, Indiana has yet to put up a marquee road victory, something they are no doubt hoping to change on Thursday night. But in order to leave Madison with a win, the Hoosiers will have to reverse a lot of bad history on their side when it comes to playing at the Kohl Center. Since the Badgers moved to the corner of Dayton and Frances, IU has won just one game on UW turf and hasn’t left victorious with Bo Ryan at the helm for Wisconsin. The Hoosiers have struggled in general against UW of late, losing eight straight to the Badgers with the last IU victory coming in Bloomington back in 2007. That eight-game winning streak for Wisconsin over Indiana is the longest streak by a single team against the Hoosiers since Purdue capped off a nine-game run in 1935.

Finally hitting their stride as a team, it doesn’t seem that this Badger team is ready to bring that streak to an end just yet. Tipoff is at 8pm at the Kohl Center.

Badgers Continue to Roll With Big Road Win Over Illini

If there is one thing that Badger fans should have learned by now it would be to never count a Bo Ryan-coached team out for the count. After Wisconsin men’s basketball dropped three straight to fall to 1-3 in Big Ten play, many thought the season was headed for a disastrous finish. But after Sunday’s 67-63 win at No. 25 Illinois (4-3 Big Ten, 15-5 Overall), UW is right back in the Big Ten title hunt and playing as well as anyone in the conference.

After finding themselves in an early 7-2 hole, UW (5-3 Big Ten, 16-3 Overall) responded with a quick 16-4 run that gave them a seven-point lead just under halfway into the opening half.

“You don’t want to get the crowd too into it and you want to get your confidence going,” sophomore guard Josh Gasser said. “To get one to go down early is definitely big and then we can get it going from there.”

After a first half that saw the lead change hands seven times, finishing with a tie at 26, the second half was another seesaw affair. Illinois took the lead first, extending their cushion to as much as four with just over nine minutes to play. Senior guard Jordan Taylor got the Badgers within a basket with a quick floater then junior forward Mike Bruesewitz buried a three-pointer, erasing Illinois’ final lead of the game with just under either minutes left.

The Badgers knew that victory hinged in large part on their ability to hold Illinois junior guard Brandon Paul and sophomore forward Myers Leonard in check. Leonard, coming in averaging over 13 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, struggled for most of the first half, managing just two points on 1-of-5 shooting.

“We’re not long and lanky outside of the five spot,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “So we have to work hard to try and not allow looks in the post.”

Perhaps more importantly, Gasser held Paul to just 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting, never really impacting the game. This after the Gurnee, Ill native put up 43 points against Ohio State in the Illini’s last home game back on January 10^th.

“Brandon Paul’s been playing with a lot of confidence and probably has been the best player in the league the past couple games,” Taylor said. “Josh {Gasser} came in and did an outstanding job to slow him down a little bit.”

While Leonard picked up his game in the 2^nd half, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Berggren matched him step-for-step. The Princeton, Minn native had perhaps his best performance since the loss at North Carolina back in early December, finishing with 18 points and 5 rebounds while staying out of foul trouble defending on the interior.

“{Jared} knocked down some huge threes and also down low he had some nice moves,” Gasser said. “When Jared is playing like that, it is tough to stop us.”

But as the Badgers looked to close the game out in the second half, it was Taylor who got them to the finish line. Managing only 5 points in the opening half, Taylor turned up the heat down the stretch, finishing with a game-high 19 points, a team-high 9 rebounds, and a perfect 5 assists to zero turnovers.

“I just try and run stuff that we run everyday in practice. When the opportunity presents itself, I just try to take shots and knock them down…” Taylor said. “I’m still not shooting a great percentage, but I will take the win.”

Wisconsin struggled at the line, making just three of their first ten tries at the line. But despite the struggles (finishing 10-of-18), Taylor was about as clutch as it gets coming down the home stretch. The Bloomington, Minn native posted UW’s final seven points, icing the game by hitting five consecutive free throws right in front of Illinois’ vaunted “Orange Krush”.

“He is our leader…” Berggren said of Taylor. “He is as clutch as they come down the stretch.”

“We have struggled at times this year at the free throw line,” Taylor said. “But I feel like when we have actually needed to step up and knock them down, we have.”

Already the only Big Ten team with at least five wins away from home, the Badgers are now 6-2 in road or neutral-site games. With wins at Purdue and Illinois, UW has swept games in West Lafayette and Champaign for the first time since 1918.

More importantly, Wisconsin is now 5-3 in conference play and just a half game behind the top spot, a far cry from where they stood just two weeks ago after losing at Michigan.

“It’s a crazy league…” Berggren said. “It’s a long season and everyone is going to take some bumps. We were able to fight and scratch our way back into things and now we are in a pretty good position”