Coming off their first conference loss to Penn State Tuesday night, Wisconsin basketball returns home tomorrow night against the Indiana. The Hoosiers come into this game 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten. They are coming off an 87-66 home loss to #2 Purdue Tuesday night.
Can the Badgers rebound after a tough loss in front of the home crowd? Tip time is 7:30 on FS1.
Can the Wisconsin Basketball Posts Defend Indiana’s Athletic Bigs?
Wisconsin basketball has had to face some of the best athletic guards in the country. It feels like that has been the case since game 1. However, I am not as worried about the Indiana guards as I am the forwards.
The Hoosiers three leading scorers are forwards. Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, and Kel’el Ware combine for 41 of Indiana’s 75 points a game. Al three are athletic and shoot at least 34% from three. It will be a challenge for the group of Steven Crowl, Tyler Wahl, Carter Gilmore, and Nolan Winter. They will be forced to defend the entire court. Crowl and Gilmore don’t do this a ton. We could also see more Markus Ilver.
Cleaning Up on Defense
Greg Gard was frustrated after the Penn State loss Tuesday night and he had a right to be. I am not sure if speed of the Penn State guards were the reason for it, but Wisconsin basketball looked to be a step slow all night. In particular, the guards were beaten off the first dribble almost every possession.
The defense was horrible the first few weeks of the season, After the Robert Morris game, the defense was much better. The last few games, we are starting to see the defense slip again.
This is almost unheard of from a Greg Gard team to give up 87 points to a team like Penn State. It will be interesting to see how the Badgers respond on that side tomorrow night. The home crowd should be a boost, but it’s still discouraging to see this from a team that brought back just about everyone from a team last year where they relied on their defense every night.
Prediction
ESPN gives the Badgers a 91% chance to win this game. Personally, I like Wisconsin basketball to respond and rebound.
The last time Greg Gard ripped into his team on defense, they responded. Assuming he did something similar after the Penn State game, I’m confident this team will bounce back. They are a mature team and they know what they need to do. They will be the first ones to tell you the defensive performance was not the Wisconsin basketball standard.
Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl have to stay out of foul trouble. I think Indiana has the advantage at the forward and post positions because of the talent and the scoring ability.
The Hoosiers only shoot 65% as a team from the free throw line. If this game is decided at the line, the Badgers have a huge advantage.
Indiana has one road win all season. That was at Michigan in early December. As we know, the Wolverines are a dumpster fire right now. This is an Hoosiers team that historically does not play well on the road.
I think the Badgers have the advantage at the guard position. This will be a game players like Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit, Connor Essegian, and John Blackwell have to shoulder the load.
Give me Wisconsin basketball in a bounce back tomorrow night. I think they will respond well and pick it up a notch on the defensive side.
Wisconsin 77 Indiana 68
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