Preview: Badgers look to sweep Maryland in rematch in College Park
Wisconsin (12-6) vs. Maryland (12-7)
Game: Wednesday, Jan. 25 inside the XFINITY Center
Time: 6:00 P.M CT
Watch: BTN
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Prediction: Wisconsin 61, Maryland 63
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
Betting Line: Maryland -5.5
PRE-GAME NOTES
Wisconsin lost another painful game Monday in Evanston, falling 66-63 to Northwestern. The Badgers have now lost three of their last four and dropped to an even 4-4 in the Big Ten.
The Wildcats' defense did a fantastic job exposing Wisconsin's flaws offensively. Northwestern came into the game with a great defense on paper, and they backed that up on the court. They did a tremendous job shutting the Badgers down by getting in the passing lanes, guarding the three and switching very fluidly off the ball.
Wisconsin's lack of a pure scorer was painfully obvious Monday night. Yes, they have shooters, but when those shooters don't perform, there's little Greg Guard can do to jumpstart this offense.
Chucky Hepburn is shooting nearly 50% from three, but he's only posting a 39.4% from the field. His step-back jumper, while pretty when it connects, has been inconsistent from inside the arc. He lives for the big shots, but hasn't hit them as of late. Hepburn's best offensive tool besides his range might be his hesitation, when he puts the ball on a string and often, the defender on skates. The young point guard clearly has many tools in his offensive arsenal, but he's still figuring out how to put them all together.
Connor Essegian is a pure shooter, and has shown some flashes where he can create for himself. But when the freshman shoots 2-of-8 from three, as he did in Evanston, his bag isn't deep enough yet to go manufacture points in other ways.
Vegas has the Terps winning by around five points, which probably speaks more to how disappointing the Badgers have played recently than anything Maryland is doing. The Big Ten has been a rude awakening for the Terps, who are sitting at 3-5 in the conference. They've lost four of their last six and seven of their last 11. And yet, they're favored by multiple possessions over a Badgers team in the midst of a complete free fall.
A lot has changed since Wisconsin upset the No.13 Terrapins on December 6th in the Kohl Center. Wisconsin only won by five, but dominated for long stretches of the game. About 14 minutes in, Wisconsin led 27-15, and the 12-point lead felt like a lot more. Wisconsin's physicality and tenacious defense was too much for Maryland to overcome, and the Terps would end up dropping their first game of the season.
Maryland remains a solid defensive team. They're holding opponents to 46.6% from two and 29.8% from three. Wisconsin was able to take them slightly by surprise with their tight fundamentals and physical nature in the first meeting, and was able to run their offense pretty smoothly as a result. Maryland head coach Kevin Willard should be encouraging his team to match that physicality for their second dance.
Jahmir Young is the best scoring threat the Terps have to offer. He dropped 17 against Wisconsin back in December, including 3-of-5 from downtown. The graduate point guard averages 15.5 points and is also a proficient passer and rebounder. The Badgers defense should swarm to him whenever he gets the ball.
In the first meeting, Maryland's big men struggled to make an impact. Forward Donta Scott went 3-of-14 from the field, putting up just nine points across 34 minutes. Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl played fantastic defensive games in the post. Expect Maryland to try to work the ball inside to Scott and their center Julian Reese, especially with Wahl still not quite all the way back.
Max Klesmit is expected to miss his second game in a row, and Jordan Davis, who performed admirably in the loss by scoring a career-high 15 points, should get the start once more.
The road is getting very narrow for both schools in the conference, and both are running out of time to turn it around. With how tight the Big Ten has been this season, and with how good the team at the top, Purdue, appears to be, there's little room for error for both the Badgers and the Terps as we approach February.
| Pos. | Wisconsin | HT/WT | PTS | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Chucky Hepburn (So) |
6-2, 205 |
12.7 |
3.2 |
3.4 |
|
G |
Jordan Davis (Jr.) |
6-3, 200 |
6.6 |
4.1 |
0.6 |
|
G |
Connor Essegian (Fr.) |
6-4, 185 |
10.4 |
3.3 |
0.8 |
|
F |
Tyler Wahl (Sr.) |
6-9, 225 |
12.8 |
6.2 |
1.9 |
|
C |
Steven Crowl (Jr.) |
7-0, 245 |
12.7 |
6.9 |
2.8 |
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| Pos. | MARYLAND | HT/WT | PTS | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Jahmir Young (Gr.) |
6-1, 185 |
15.5 |
4.9 |
3.0 |
|
G |
Donald Carey (Gr.) |
6-5, 187 |
7.2 |
2.5 |
1.1 |
|
G |
Hakim Hart (Sr.) |
6-8, 205 |
11.5 |
4.8 |
1.6 |
|
F |
Donta Scott (Sr.) |
6-8, 230 |
11.8 |
6.1 |
1.5 |
|
F |
Julian Reese (So.) |
6-9, 230 |
10.3 |
6.7 |
1.0 |
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