Wisconsin (18-9, 10-6 Big Ten) at Indiana (14-13, 6-10)

Game: Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN

Time: 6:00 P.M. CT

Watch: Peacock

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

Prediction: Wisconsin 76, Indiana 74

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin -4.5 (according to ESPN BET)

The Wisconsin Badgers will end their week-long break with a visit to Bloomington on Tuesday to face the Indiana Hoosiers.

It’ll be the first of Wisconsin’s final four-game stretch to close out the regular season, meaning they have an incredibly limited amount of time to shape up ahead of the postseason.

For Indiana, Tuesday will provide an opportunity to simply regain some footing amidst their worst stretch of the season. They’re currently on a four-game losing streak, and have only won two out of their past 10 games. They began the season with a 12-5 record, yet now sit at 14-13.

During last Wednesday's loss to Nebraska, some fans even chanted “Fire [Mike] Woodson,” referring to their head coach. While their season may be effectively over, these coaches are clearly fighting for their jobs. The last thing they’re going to do is simply roll over.

Indiana has suffered an even worse stretch than what Wisconsin experienced in early February, when it lost five out of six to begin the month.

The last time we saw the Badgers, they barely pulled out a win against a mediocre Maryland team, 74-70. Their ability to win such a tough, physical game should inspire some confidence, but they were also out-shot by and committed more turnovers than the Terrapins.

The Badgers also finished with just six assists, which tied a season low. It was a tangible sign that Wisconsin’s offense lacked chemistry and rhythm, which has felt like a trend as of late.

Despite the recent woes, Wisconsin must prepare to limit a Hoosiers rotation that includes two of the most efficient scorers in the Big Ten. Malik Renau and Kel’el Ware are the only two players in the conference, along with Zach Edey, who average more than 15 points per game while also shooting over 50% from the field.

Leading the charge is Reneau, who has scored 20 in four out of their last nine games. The first of such performances came in a loss to the Badgers, when he scored 28 on 12-of-21 shooting from the field.

Yet despite his impressive scoring run, this recent stretch has included some of his worst performances of the season. In back-to-back losses to No. 2 Purdue and Northwestern, he shot 7-for-20 and scored just 15 points.

The Badgers will now also have to worry about defending Ware, who missed the first matchup with a lower-leg injury.

The sophomore from Arkansas has become one of the best centers in the Big Ten, playing valiantly during the losing streak. Over the last three games, he’s averaging 18.3 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 63.2%.

It would make sense for the Badgers to work the post and try to get Ware in foul trouble. He’s averaging three fouls per game over his last five games, and only played 22 minutes in their recent outing against Penn State due to foul trouble.

Tuesday should be the toughest game in a while for Wisconsin’s frontcourt, who have faced their fair share of struggles throughout February.

Steven Crowl struggled mightily during the initial portion of the four-game losing streak, scoring just 19 points over that stretch. He began to look like his old self in the following two games, scoring 38 points total against Ohio State and Iowa, but then mostly disappeared again in the Maryland matchup.

A.J. Storr has continued to score in double figures, but is shooting just 39.2% from the field over his last six games.

It could perhaps be another significant performance for Max Klesmit, who scored a team-high 26 points in the first matchup between these two teams. He even scored 20 straight points over a four-and-a-half minute stretch, allowing the Badgers to pull away in the second half.

This game is a precursor to the home matchup against No. 13 Illinois on Saturday, which is Wisconsin’s final home matchup against a top Big Ten team this regular season.

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