Wisconsin (16-13) vs. Minnesota (8-20)

Game: Sunday, March 5 inside Williams Arena

Time: 6:30 P.M. CT

Watch: FS1

Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio

Prediction: Wisconsin 74, Minnesota 66

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting Line: Wisconsin -6

Wisconsin will close out their regular season with a visit to Minneapolis on Sunday evening to face the Golden Gophers. Minnesota is struggling mightily and is easily the worst team in the Big Ten this year. With a 2-16 record in Big Ten play, they're sitting at dead last in the conference.

This will be the second meeting between Wisconsin and Minnesota this season. The first came back on Jan. 3, when the Badgers narrowly escaped the Gophers at the Kohl Center. Minnesota had a chance until the very end, when a Chucky Hepburn steal iced the game in the final seconds. That game marked the end of Wisconsin's honeymoon period, so to speak — they were 11-2, ranked no. 14 and undefeated in the Big Ten at the time. Since then, the Badgers are 5-11.

Minnesota is coming off a massive win for their program, eking past Rutgers by one point to snap a 12-game loosing streak.

According to Joe Lunardi's bracketology, Wisconsin is currently one of the last four teams in the field of 68. Their two-point loss to the Big Ten champion and No. 5 overall team, unsurprisingly, didn't hurt them that much. Now, however, the Badgers absolutely need to beat Minnesota to reach March Madness. If they don't, anything short of running the table in the conference tournament would likely seal Wisconsin's fate.

In these teams' first meeting, Wisconsin got a big performance from Steven Crowl. The center scored 17 points on 8-of-13 from the field. Hepburn was also a difference maker, logging 16 points including three triples.

There were positives and negatives to take away from that game. The Badgers shot 40 percent from deep, and went 7-of-9 from the free throw line. They also got pummeled on the glass, pulling down 24 rebounds to Minnesota's 40, and failed to gain much separation on the scoreboard from an inferior team.

Minnesota's freshman point guard Ta'Lon Cooper was their leading scorer the first time around with 16, followed by the reliable forward Dawson Garcia with 14. Jamison Battle had 14 points but shot with poor efficiency, going 5-of-15 from the floor.

Those three will be lead the charge for the Gophers once again offensively. Minnesota loves to live in the paint, and Garcia and the forward Battle take 30 and 27 percent of their shots, respectively.

Wisconsin's bigs will have to show up Sunday. Wisconsin can't get out-rebounded by 16 again — that alone nearly cost them the first game. Sure, Jordan Davis pulling down eight boards is good to see, but when he alone has more rebounds that Crowl and Tyler Wahl combined, it's a problem. Minnesota isn't a good outside shooting team; they connect on 31.9 percent of their shots from deep, according to KenPom. The focus defensively for the Badgers should be beneath the basket in the paint.

Whether or not Wisconsin makes the NCAA tournament, this game is massive for the program. It's a statement game; that statement being even in a down year, the Badgers can go on the road and handle their business against the worst team in the conference. Add in the fact that it's against rival Minnesota, and there's a lot of pride on the line Sunday. Wisconsin needs to win, and quite frankly they need to win rather handily to improve their resume.

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