Badgers welcome in Phoenix

MADISON - Junior forward Mike Bruesewitz is a no nonsense type of player on the court. He doesn't want to turn the ball over. He doesn't want to miss open shots. He wants to play good, stout defense and he wants to win ball games.

When some of that stuff goes by the wayside - - like the wins in UW's current two-game slide - - Bruesewitz takes it out on himself.

"I feel like I could do a lot more," said Bruesewitz, who averages 6.6 points per game through eight contests. "I've had a few games where I've had too many turnovers and defensively made mistakes.

"I could probably tell you about eight or nine mistakes I made in one game more than the eight or nine positive things I've done."

During UW's past two games - - both losses- - Bruesewitz has combined to shoot 1-of-8 from the field for an average of 3.5 points per. He shot six free throws against Marquette, but only made four. He's only committed one turnover during UW's losing streak, but has had a three-game stretch this year with three, two and two turnovers.

Most of the time it's not one major thing Bruesewitz struggles with. It's usually a combination of several little things that eventually snowball into a larger one.

"It doesn't always show up in the box score," Bruesewitz said. "But when we break it down in clips and all of a sudden you realize why he got a foul or why he missed this (or that). You've just got to make sure you right those little things.

"They result in big things."

Bruesewitz, along with the rest of his Wisconsin teammates, will get another crack at correcting the shortcomings of their past two games against UW-Green Bay tonight inside the Kohl Center.

UW will have another opportunity to find its shooting touch - - the Badgers combined to make just 37.1 percent of their shots against North Carolina and Marquette - - just at it will have an opportunity to correct the turnover issue.

Wisconsin only committed four in Chapel Hill, but uncharacteristically turned it over 12 times at home against the Golden Eagles.

"We saw what we can improve on and we saw what we did to lose games," Gasser said. "We didn't get loose balls. We didn't take good shots. We turned the ball over a little bit too much.

"That right there is not going to win games."

When Green Bay comes to the Kohl Center later this evening, it will undoubtedly play the underdog card. It can look at the series history - - Green Bay has just one win in 19 tries against Wisconsin - - and it can look at the way its lost half of it's games so far this season.

It's Wisconsin's job to counter that mindset.

There's no question UW is more talented across the board in comparison to Green Bay. It just needs to prove it, and the fact it can play closer to traditional Wisconsin basketball than it has been, on the court of play.

"They're really tough," Gasser said. "It's because they're so dedicated to get a win against Wisconsin. Most of those guys are really well coached. They have talent, but at the same time the best formula to win is to be well coached and to play hard.

"People may think it's just a little mid-major school but they're definitely a good program."