Preview: No. 13 Wisconsin travels to Minnesota for border battle
No. 13 Wisconsin (21-5, 12-4) vs. Minnesota (13-12, 4-12)
Game: Wednesday, Feb. 23 inside Williams Arena
Time: 8:00 P.M. CT
Watch: BTN (Cory Provus and Robbie Hummel)
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Prediction: Wisconsin 72, Minnesota 64
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
PRE-GAME NOTES
No. 13 Wisconsin hits the road for a Wednesday night tilt against rival Minnesota. UW is seeking a return to normalcy after making headlines for a post-game brawl after its win over Michigan on Sunday.
The Gophers come into tonight's meeting losers of seven of their last nine games, including a pair of 20-point defeats to Ohio State and Northwestern last week. First-year head coach Ben Johnson has had to deal with a shuffling of players due to COVID-19 protocols and injuries. The most recent blow was delivered to Payton Willis, who was sidelined against Northwestern. Willis led Minnesota with 17 points in the first meeting against Wisconsin. He is the Gophers' second leading scorer and leader in assists and steals.
"There's a chance he could go Wednesday. If he feels right and he's cleared but we won't know that until Wednesday," Johnson said on his radio show on Tuesday, according to Marcus Fuller of the Star Tribune.
If Willis is unable to go, Wisconsin native Luke Loewe showed he is capable of stepping in and contributing in a big way. In the win over Northwestern, Loewe recorded 24 points and seven assists. He totaled just four points on 1-of-6 shooting in the first matchup against UW.
Minnesota's leader this season has been Jamison Battle, the team's leading scorer and rebounder. Like Loewe and Willis, Battle loves to get to a pull-up jumper from mid-range and isn't shy about letting it fly from deep. He is coming off a 20-point, 14-rebound and five-assist performance against Northwestern.
Head coach Greg Gard insisted that he wouldn't let the post-game incident linger past Sunday afternoon, and UW will have a chance to let its play remain the story come Wednesday night. The Badgers come in winners of four of their last five and will be looking to sweep the season series against Minnesota.
"When you have a player who is probably going to be a lottery pick, that changes everything," Johnson said in a Tuesday press conference previewing Wisconsin. "A guy who can go get 40 easily takes so much pressure off of everybody else, and you have a supporting cast that is very capable."
The likely lottery pick Johnson referred to, Johnny Davis has rattled off 55 points and 18 rebounds in the last two games on 66 percent shooting from the floor. Davis tallied just 16 in the first meeting but scored Wisconsin's last six points to close out a win.
Wisconsin's backcourt will likely be asked to shoulder even more of a load against the Gophers. With Jahcobi Neath suspended and reserve Lorne Bowman sidelined against the Wolverines due to illness, Gard could be down his top two reserves at guard. Neath is coming off of his six-point game against Michigan where he looked comfortable getting downhill a few times, while Bowman has been able to add a shooting pop in spurts.
Wednesday night will be the 209th all-time meeting between the two schools with the series tied at 104-104. Wisconsin has won the last three meetings and four of the last five on the road against Minnesota.
| Pos. | Wisconsin | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Chucky Hepburn (Fr.) |
6-2, 211 |
7.7 |
2.1 |
2.2 |
|
G |
Brad Davison (Sr.) |
6-4, 200 |
14.5 |
4.2 |
1.9 |
|
W |
Jonathan Davis (So.) |
6-5, 194 |
20.9 |
8.3 |
2.3 |
|
F |
Tyler Wahl (Jr.) |
6-9, 221 |
11.2 |
5.6 |
1.6 |
|
F |
Steven Crowl (So.) |
7-0, 234 |
9.2 |
4.5 |
1.6 |
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| Pos. | Minnesota | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Eylijah Stephens (Sr.) |
6-3, 175 |
10.5 |
3.3 |
1.6 |
|
G |
Luke Loewe (Sr.) |
6-4, 185 |
8.9 |
2.4 |
2.4 |
|
G |
Payton Willis (Sr.) |
6-4, 200 |
15.6 |
4.8 |
4.3 |
|
F |
Jamison Battle (So.) |
6-7. 225 |
16.6 |
6.5 |
1.0 |
|
F |
Eric Curry (Sr.) |
6-9, 240 |
8.0 |
5.8 |
1.7 |
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