Preview: No. 11 Wisconsin back in action against Nebraska

No. 11 Wisconsin (15-3, 6-2) vs. Nebraska (6-13, 0-8)

Game: Thursday, Jan. 27 inside the Pinnacle Bank Arena

Time: 4:00 P.M. CT

Watch: BTN (Chris Vosters and Trent Meacham)

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

Prediction: Wisconsin 74, Nebraska 60

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Wisconsin returns to the court for the first time since its 86-74 loss to Michigan State this past Thursday. This afternoon's matchup against Nebraska was originally slated for Tuesday but was postponed following COVID-19 complications within the Cornhuskers' program. Nebraska has been on a short pause following its loss to Indiana on Jan. 17.

After just their second defeat since Dec. 11, Greg Gard's team will have a chance to bounce back against the last place team in the Big Ten.

“It’s a team that individually is very talented, but just haven’t been able to consistently put it together," Gard said Tuesday afternoon. "We’ll have to be good at the things we weren’t good at (against Michigan State). We’ll have to be better in transition defensively, be better on the glass, be more efficient at the start of the game offensively.

"For us, those are the things we have to get better at, regardless if we played Nebraska or whoever was going to be next.”

Nebraska is currently 0-8 in league play, and the margin of defeat is an average of 17.5 points. Defensively, the Cornhuskers are giving up 79.1 points per game. And in conference play, opposing teams have scored at least 78 points in every contest but one.

Fred Hoiberg will reportedly have his full roster available against the Badgers. After an extended layoff, however, one has to wonder how long it will take for the group to find a flow and whether or not they'll have some tired legs early on.

“Hard not to have rust to shake off,” Hoiberg said.

The Badgers are hoping they have junior forward Tyler Wahl back for the matchup, as he would likely draw the assignment of Bryce McGowens. A 6-foot-7 freshman, McGowens, a former five-star recruit, is Nebraska's leading scorer and is coming off a 20-point effort against Indiana. That was the fifth time he tallied at least 20 points this season.

“He’s (Wahl) done a little bit more each day," Gard said. "We don’t know where (the ankle) will be yet on Thursday. We’ll see how he reacts to what he does and how he feels the next day from what he’s done the previous day."

Wahl did not practice this past Tuesday but was no longer sporting a walking boot. His presence was badly missed during the loss to Michigan State as the Badgers struggled to protect the paint and lost the rebounding battle. Ben Carlson started in Wahl's place and finished with six points.

Pinnacle Bank is a familiar court for Chucky Hepburn. Wisconsin's freshman point guard played in a pair of state title games in the arena and was heavily recruited by Hoiberg's staff. Emotions will be running high for Hepburn, who will be suiting for the first time since the loss of his godbrother, Vincent Burns. Burns passed away this past Monday after being shot outside a bar in Omaha.

“I just absolutely think the world of the kid and how good he is at setting his team up,” Hoiberg said of Hepburn. “He’s always played beyond his years. He’s a rock.”

Thursday night will be the 35th all-time meeting with Wisconsin leading the series, 20-14. The Badgers have dominated recently with wins in the last six contests between the two schools. Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, UW has won 14 of the last 18 games.

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @JakeKoco, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45

*Like us on Facebook