MBB Preview: Badgers host the Phoenix

Two things are certain when the Wisconsin Badgers (5-7, 1-1) host UW-Green Bay Phoenix (5-7) on Dec. 23, 2017:

1. For the student-athletes: The stress of finals week is over.

2. For the fans: Wisconsin Men's Basketball is back.

Game information and team previews are below.

Game: Dec. 23, 2017 at the Kohl Center

Time: 4:30 PM CDT

Watch: BTN

Listen: BadgerSports Network (iHeartRadio)

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz, @McNamaraRivals, @JohnVeldhuis and @realJ_Mills

Phoenix Pre-Game Notes:

The Phoenix will play their last non-conference game of the season when they travel to the Kohl Center on Saturday. UW-Green Bay enters Madison following a 81-78 overtime defeat against Bowling Green at the Resch Center, moving the team's record to 5-2 at home and a dreadful 0-5 on the road.

However, there is enough talent on this Green Bay roster to make a statement against the Badgers. Lead by senior Khalil Small (16.2 ppg), the team is averaging 75.4 ppg on 41 percent shooting from the field. Against Wisconsin, a team ranked dead last in the conference in field goal percentage defense (46.3 percent), this Phoenix offense only needs a spark at the right time to put UW away early.

In particular, the Badgers also must defend against junior Sandy Cohen III, who has been granted an NCAA waiver and scored 16 points against Bowling Green on Thursday evening. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard is a transfer from Marquette and figures to serve a big role in Green Bay's 2017-18 lineup.

As a whole, the Phoenix struggle from behind the arc and convert just 33 percent of their shots from deep. However, its opponents are shooting much worse; accumulating an average of just under 7 threes/game with a 27 percent success rate. Thus, it will be up to Small (team-high 45 percent from 3pt.) to carry the team during cold spells.

Badgers' Pre-Game Notes:

Through 12 games, Wisconsin continues to experience its share of highs and lows. Regardless, UW head coach Greg Gard believes his team will overcome the struggles and ultimately "find a way."

"The stretch they've been through, the teams that they've played, the places they've been; they've been tested and had their feet to the fire," Gard said after UW's win against Temple on Dec. 13. "Maybe a little sooner than they were ready for, but I'm extremely proud of how they responded."

Indeed, it's not how you fall that matters but how you get back up. For the 2017-18 Badgers, though, the team cannot afford to fall any lower.

If Wisconsin hopes to earn its 19th straight invitation to the NCAA tournament, every win counts. Tough non-conference losses to Marquette, Xavier and Virginia, for example, stained the program's resume. Thus, with conference play right around the corner, Gard and co. face little margin for error.

After seven weeks of basketball, an ongoing issue for the Badgers is finishing close games. The team's scoring margin (+0.8) and free throw percentage (67 percent) rank among the worst in the conference and as a result, seven of the team's 12 games have been decided by 12 points or less (five of these seven are losses).

At times, the program's youth may seem as frustrating as it is promising. Thus, UW's upperclassmen are needed more than ever.

After a quiet two-week stretch in early December, Wisconsin junior Ethan Happ appears back to his old self. He enters Saturday's contest riding three consecutive games with 15+ ppg, 30+ min/game and 4+rpg.

Fortunately, for the Badgers, he's not alone.

In wake of fellow sophomore D'Mitrik Trice's injury, Brevin Pritzl is heating up at the right time. The shooting guard followed his 20-point total against Marquette with 16 points versus Western Kentucky last week and for a team struggling to capitalize behind the arc, his recent performances are certainly a big boost.

To beat UW-Green Bay, the Badgers need to keep the Phoenix (77 percent free throw percentage) away from the line while limiting fouls. Against Western Kentucky, Wisconsin teased flashes of impressive defense, but these flashes must become a full beam of light if the Badgers are to resurrect their 2017-18 season.

Coach's Corner

Green Bay: Linc Darner enters his third season as head coach and won 41 games during his first two years at UW-Green Bay, the most in two seasons by any head coach in program history.

Wisconsin: Greg Gard's first game as a head coach was against Green Bay in 2015, when Wisconsin won by a score of 84-79.