Penn State (15-15, 5-14 Big Ten) vs. No.12 Wisconsin (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten)

Date/Time – Saturday, March 8, 12 p.m.

Arena – Kohl Center (17,230)

Watch – Big Ten Network (Paul Burmeister and Jess Settles)

Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch), Sirius 83, stream online on iHeartRadio.

Series – Wisconsin leads 44-12 (Wisconsin leads 23-2 in Madison)

Last Meeting - Penn State won, 87-83, on January 16, 2024, in State College, PA

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin -11.5

Player to Watch: Finishing with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's win at Minnesota. Blackwell is averaging 21.7 ppg over the last three contests, had a double-double in two of the last three games, and topped 20 points for the seventh time this season.

Player to watch: Baldwin Jr. is one of just five Division I players since the 1947-48 season (77 years) with 1,700+ career points (1,708), 800+ career assists (822), and 300+ career steals (339). Baldwin Jr. is Division I's active career leader in steals (339), and his 822 career assists are third amongst active Division I players.

UW has won five of the last six against Penn State and 18 of the last 20 since 2012.

Wisconsin has won 22 straight home games against Penn State, including a mark of 19-0 all-time at the Kohl Center. The Lions’ last win in Madison was a 78-67 win at the UW Field House on Jan. 26, 1995.

The Badgers are 11-2 against Penn State under head coach Greg Gard, with the only two losses coming in 2021 and 2024 in State College.

The Badgers' 23-7 record matches the second-best start under Gard and the seventh best 30-game start in program history.

Wisconsin's six-man senior class has combined to play 556 games (266 starts) for the Badgers, scoring 3,558 points.

A win Saturday would give the Badgers 14 Big Ten wins for just the sixth time in program history. Three of the five seasons have come in the Gard era (since 2015-16)

The Badgers are 15-7 in Quad 1/2 games with six Quad 1 wins and zero losses outside of Quad 1. UW is one of eight schools with 15+ Q1/2 wins.

Wisconsin ranks 11th in the nation in offensive efficiency per KenPom. UW's mark of 123.9 would rank as the school's 2nd-highest mark in the KenPom era (1997).

Penn State is averaging 78.9 points per game, which currently tracks to best the program record for single-season scoring average of 78.7 ppg that was set by the 1954-55 team. The Nittany Lions have scored 80-plus points in 15 games this season.

Penn State has had nine players score in double figures, with six different players recording 20-plus point games. Seven different players have led Penn State in scoring in a game this season.

Penn State leads the Big Ten in steals per game (8.2) and ranks second in turnovers forced per game (14.23).

Penn State has been plagued with injuries since the turn of the calendar year, as the Nittany Lions have played each of the last 15 games without at least one of their double-digit scorers.

The Nittany Lions are 9-0 this season when making 20+ free throws in a game. Penn State is 6-0 this season when attempting at least 30 foul shots in a contest.

Penn State has been within four points in the final two minutes of 10 of its 15 losses this season. The Nittany Lions own nine conference losses by six points or fewer this season, the most amongst major conference teams. With the Nittany Lions in 17th place and guaranteed not to make the Big Ten Tournament field, one has to wonder where the level of motivation will be for a PSU team that starts four seniors and has won one Big Ten road game all season.

Wisconsin got the help it needed Friday night when Illinois beat Purdue at home. If the Badgers win, they are assured no worse than a No.4 seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament and a coveted double bye.

Wisconsin isn't playing as efficiently offensively as it did at the beginning of February, but it's clear that the Badgers have made noticeable strides defensively. After holding league champion Michigan Statto e under a point per possession on Sunday, the Badgers held Minnesota to 1.081 Wednesday, holding them under 42 percent overall and 35 percent from three. Once stuck in the mid-50s in defensive efficiency, the Badgers now sit at 29th nationally.

Playing at home on Senior Day, Wisconsin's veterans make enough winning plays to earn an extra day off before postseason play begins.

Worgull’s Prediction: Wisconsin by 14

Record: 24-6 (23-7 ATS)

Points off Prediction: 236 (7.9 per game)

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