Wisconsin (6-2) vs. No.13 Maryland (8-0)

Game: Tuesday, Dec. 6 inside the Kohl Center

Time: 8:00 P.M CT

Watch: ESPN2

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

Prediction: Wisconsin 77, Maryland 74

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting Line: Wisconsin - 1.0

Wisconsin opens up Big Ten play with the undefeated Maryland Terrapins coming to town. Coming off yet another overtime game, this time a win against Marquette in Milwaukee, the Badgers will look to keep the momentum going.

The season is still young, but the 2022 iteration of Badgers basketball is beginning to take shape. The past two games, Chucky Hepburn has proven how just how much he means to this team.

Over the first five games of the season, something was off. Hepburn was ice cold, and his stats reflected it. Before the USC game, Wisconsin's last round in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Hepburn was just shooting 26.8%, and 29.4% from three-point land. Then, it began to click. Over the last three games, he's shooting 51.2%, including a staggering 60.9% from three.

Neither of those two stretches are who Hepburn really is. He's a gifted defender and passer, but he's not a measly 25% shooter by any means. He's also not a pure long-range shooter — 60% from deep is absurd, and unsustainable. In reality, Hepburn is somewhere in between: a capable shooter who can get to his spot and score semi-regularly. He's not an offensive liability, as he was to start the season, but he's also not a deep-range deadeye who will regularly knock down five to six threes a game. Expect his play to even out a little in the coming games.

Wisconsin, however, was forced to stay afloat without Hepburn for about 13 minutes in the second half against Marquette. Nursing a double-digit lead at half, the Badgers watched it dwindle without Hepburn in the lineup. The efforts of big men Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl, along with the sneaky shooting of Max Klesmit, was enough to keep the Badgers in it without their point guard. After Stevie Mitchell of the Golden Eagles laid it up and in for Marquette's first lead of the half, a hobbled Hepburn led Wisconsin out of a timeout and hit a deep step-back three. He would finish 5-of-6 from deep.

Hepburn is picking up the scoring for Wisconsin, which is a very encouraging sign. Just weeks ago, it seemed as though the Badgers would need to rely on Wahl's niftiness in the post whenever they needed a bucket. The emergence of Hepburn as someone who can go out and hit key jump shots is a massive development for the Badgers.

Maryland enters this game undefeated, although their early-season schedule has been a little light on the competition. They knocked off ranked Illinois at home, which is their signature win thus far. Besides that, the Terps have only played two other Power Six schools, one of whom was Louisville who's currently winless at 0-7. Wisconsin, for context, has played five Power Six opponents, one of whom was No.3 Kansas.

Despite the rather unimpressive competition, Maryland's offense has been a handful. Shooting two's at 59.6%, they're one of the most efficient scoring teams in the country. Led by Donta Scott, the big man from Philly, the Terps love to attack the paint and get to high-percentage looks. Despite shooting nearly 50% from the floor, Scott is an inside-out player all the way; his 13 made threes are the second most on the team.

The Terps deploy another dangerous big man from Philly, Hakim Hart. Standing at 6-8, Hart is shooting over 50% from three this season, which makes him nearly impossible to guard. His downtown shooting figures to cool off at some point, but for now, Hart is another versatile weapon for Maryland. He plays with similar efficiency to Scott as well, boasting an even higher 60.3 field goal percentage.

Maryland has also been solid defensively to start the season. Teams aren't shooting well against them, particularly from deep. It remains to be seen how impressive their defense looks during a full Big Ten slate, but the Terps roll into Madison with very few weaknesses.

The Badgers won their only contest with Maryland last season, a narrow one-point, 70-69 victory in College Park.

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