Preview: Badgers seek revenge against Rutgers in final home game

Wisconsin (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) vs. Rutgers (15-4, 7-11)

Game: Thursday, March 7 at the Kohl Center

Time: 6:00 P.M. CT

Watch: FS1

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

Prediction: Wisconsin 67, Rutgers 62

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin -9.5 (according to ESPN BET)

The Wisconsin Badgers will play their final home game of the season against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Thursday.

Tyler Wahl will be honored on Wisconsin’s senior night, before he tries to lead a floundering Badger team to a now-rare late season win.

Wisconsin has slid down the Big Ten standings with a 2-7 record since the start of February, now desperate to gain some sort of momentum prior to the NCAA Tournament.

They’ll have a chance to get revenge on Rutgers, which handed the Badgers their fourth consecutive loss during their recent rough stretch.

These two teams were in opposite positions the last time they played, momentum-wise.

The Badgers were nose-diving, while the Scarlet Knights were in the middle of a four-game winning streak that spanned the first half of February.

Yet since then, Rutgers is 1-4. Their single victory was a resounding 82-52 beatdown against the 8-22 Wolverines, but their four losses came by 67 total points, scoring an average of just 60 in those games.

Coinciding with this poor stretch has been some jarring inconsistency from their best player, Clifford Omoruyi. He finished with 19 points twice in their past five games, but scored a total of 15 in the other three.

Omoruyi has never been known for his scoring prowess, but he’s also played an average of just 24.6 minutes in his past five games. He’s one of the best defenders in the Big Ten and Rutgers will absolutely need his presence against a post-reliant team like Wisconsin.

Most of the scoring pressure will likely be on Jeremiah Williams, who returned to the lineup at the beginning of February after missing the past two years due to an achilles injury and a subsequent gambling suspension.

Coach Steve Pikiell has shown absolute faith in Williams despite the amount of time he missed, starting him in all nine games since his return, in which he’s averaged 27.3 minutes and 13.0 points per game.

Pikiell may have no choice but to lean on Williams, given the lack of reliability elsewhere in the starting lineup. Starting guard Derek Simpson is shooting just 15.4% from the field over his last four games, while senior forward Aundre Hyatt has shot 25% or less in three of his past six games.

Regardless of whatever skid they’ve been on, they know they can beat this Badgers team. Confidence could be the ex-factor in a game between two teams seemingly devoid of any momentum.

On the other hand, Wisconsin’s motivation could come from an opportunity to get revenge on a team that embarrassed them the first time around.

A typically rudderless Rutgers offense got off to an 11-2 lead in the first four minutes, then held a double-digit lead for nearly the entire second half, leading to a 78-56 win. The 22-point victory was their biggest win over a Big Ten team until they recently beat Michigan by 30 points.

“I would probably say that’s the only game this year [where] we were like, ‘Damn, they’re really into our stuff,’” said Chucky Hepburn after the Illinois loss, when looking forward to the Rutgers rematch.

“So this is a game we’ve been looking forward to for a long time and we’re definitely gonna be ready for it this time.”

For the Badgers, Wahl will likely be the center of attention on Thursday, regardless of his senior night ceremony.

In the 91-83 loss to No. 13 Illinois on Saturday, he had likely his best performance of the season, playing a season-high 39 minutes and scoring 20 points.

He had to carry extra weight for Steven Crowl, who spent nearly the entire game in foul trouble, finishing with just four points in 14 minutes. He was the only starter not to score in double figures.

The Scarlet Knights’ stout frontline defense clearly affected the Badger frontcourt in their first meeting. Crowl and Wahl were each held to seven points on 3-for-8 shooting, while A.J. Storr finished with 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting.

Wisconsin will hope to be able to lean on its backcourt of Hepburn and Max Klesmit, who are coming off of a combined 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting against Illinois.

Ultimately, in a game between two teams who seem to be free falling, a few strong scoring performances could decide the outcome.

Wisconsin is desperate to gain some sort of footing heading into the NCAA Tournament, while Rutgers is trying to end a disappointing season with dignity. Still, the Scarlet Knights know they can beat the Badgers, which hasn’t been a difficult feat since the beginning of February.

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