After a good start to 2024 and an 83-72 win over Iowa Tuesday, Wisconsin basketball stays home for a battle tomorrow against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Cornhuskers are 12-2 on the season and 2-1 in conference play after beating Indiana Wednesday night.
Can the Badgers go to 3-0 in league play before the hit the road next week? Tip time is 1:15 PM on BTN. Here is a preview of tomorrow afternoon’s contest.
Wisconsin Basketball Must Know Where Keisei Tominaga is at all Times
Keisei Tominaga broke out late last season and became one of the best pure shooters in the Big Ten. An underrated part about his game is his movement without the ball. He knows how to get open and has no hesitation when the ball is in his hands.
It’s going to take multiple players if the Badgers want to slow him down. Look for players like Max Klesmit, Chucky Hepburn, John Blackwell, and Kamari McGee to get reps on Tominaga. If they can make him think with multiple defenders, Wisconsin basketball has a chance to take him off the scoreboard with minimal damage.
Continue a Balanced Offense
Balanced scoring and paint touches to Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl is the best recipe on offense for this team. Crowl and Wahl are so good at being patient in the post. They are taking care of the ball better and making better decisions at the rim or to the outside.
I think Wisconsin basketball is going to have to make some outside shots in this game. They have the shooters in AJ Storr, Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, and Chucky Hepburn. This is too good of a team to be struggling from the three. It’s likely the biggest weakness on this roster.
With the exception of 6’10 Rienk Mast, Crowl and Wahl should have a good advantage in the post. I keep saying this because both have feasted against smaller post teams. This seems to be another one with Nebraska.
Prediction
I will be the first to admit that I did not see Nebraska coming into Madison with a 12-2 record. They own wins against Michigan State and at Kansas State, a tough place to play in the Big 12. There’s no doubt this is the best team in Fred Hoiberg’s tenure.
The three point shooting concerns me the most about this Nebraska team. Both Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher have quick releases and they have a ton of range. I think it will be important early that the Badgers contain these two players.
One interesting note is Rienk Mast of Nebraska. He played for Bradley last season, who the Badgers faced in the first round of the NIT. Mast was good on the offensive side with 14 points and 12 rebounds. However, he was the main defender on Steven Crowl, who erupted for a career high 36 points in that game.
It will be interesting to see which Nebraska team Wisconsin basketball will see tomorrow. The two Big Ten wins are nice, but the Cornhuskers also fell on the road at Minnesota by double digits. The Golden Gophers are one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. This seems like a team that plays different on road than they do at home.
If the Badgers were reeling a little bit, I think I would pick Nebraska in this one. However, the Badgers are playing some really good basketball right now. This will probably be closer than most would like, but I think Wisconsin basketball closes this out in the final five minutes.
Wisconsin 75 Nebraska 67
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