The postseason begins tomorrow for the Wisconsin Badgers. They will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes to kick off the Big Ten Tournament. Tomorrow is a must win as the Badgers are now seen as a First 4 Out according to Joe Lunardi of ESPN. Tip time is 5:30 PM on BTN. Here is a preview of tomorrow’s Big Ten Tournament game.
Establish The Paint Again
Steven Crowl had a really nice first half in Columbus in the first meeting. Him and Tyler Wahl also combined for 42 points against Minnesota. Almost all of that came in the paint.
The Buckeyes will be without their top forward Zed Key. A lot of the post will be defended by Felix Okpara. He has a big ceiling at 6’11 and 230 pounds. However, he is giving up almost 20 pounds to Crowl and is similar in build to Tyler Wahl. The post is razor thin depth wise for Ohio State. If Crowl and Wahl can have an encore performance from Sunday against Minnesota in the paint tomorrow, Wisconsin should have a good day.
Contain Brice Sensabaugh
The Badgers caught a break in the first meeting when freshman Brice Sensabaugh was in foul trouble all game. He ended up only playing 16 minutes, but still scored in double figures. He is the go-to man for the Buckeyes. Assuming he stays out of foul trouble, Wisconsin needs to know where he is at all times.
I imagine Tyler Wahl will get the primary assignment on Sensabaugh. Max Klesmit could, but Sensabaugh is 6’6 and 235 pounds. He’s a great athlete for his size and overall I just don’t like Klesmit on him at all times. However, he’ll get a chance at Sensabaugh because he’s an above average defender and Tyler Wahl can’t defend him all game.
Prediction
It’ll be interesting to see how thing Greg Gard wants to go in the rotation. On one hand, the Badgers likely have to win at least two games to keep their NCAA hopes alive. On the other hand, you have to find a way to get to Thursday and play the players that you believe will keep your hopes alive. It’s a game Wisconsin can’t lose and both teams know that.
Ohio State has nothing to play for. They are looking for momentum into next season and will look to play spoiler. It’s very similar to Minnesota and it’s a dangerous spot to be in. Wisconsin was able to respond in the second half on the road.
I believe Wisconsin is a different team now than February 2 when these teams met. The Badgers had a 16 point lead at half and was very close to blowing it. They were terrible at the line at 13-22 and came up empty on the offensive side late. Over the last three games, the Badgers are 14-17, 5-5, and 11-12 from the line. They are shooting much better and seem to be playing better as a whole.
At the end of the day, unless Ohio State can get huge games from players such as Bruce Thornton, Justice Sueing, and Sean McNeil, I think they will be relying a lot on Brice Sensabaugh. I love the advantage Wisconsin has in the paint and I think that is the difference. I think Wisconsin moves on to Thursday to take on Iowa.
Wisconsin 69 Ohio State 64
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