Preview: No. 15 Wisconsin takes on struggling Indiana in Bloomington
No. 15 Wisconsin (19-5, 10-4) vs. Indiana (16-8, 7-7)
Game: Tuesday, Feb. 15 inside Assembly Hall
Time: 8:00 P.M. CT
Watch: ESPN2 (Jason Benetti and Jay Bilas)
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Prediction: Wisconsin 65, Indiana 61
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
PRE-GAME NOTES
Wisconsin begins a stretch of three road games over its next four contests as it heads to Bloomington for a matchup with Indiana. UW rallied from a 22-point deficit back in December to win the first matchup between the two schools.
Both teams come into Tuesday's game looking to get back into the win column. The Badgers are coming off a loss at home to Rutgers in which they failed to slow down the Scarlet Knights on the defensive end. The Hoosiers come in losers of three straight.
When scouting Indiana, it all starts with forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who puts stress on a defense with his ability to get to the basket and bring down offensive rebounds. Over this losing skid, Jackson-Davis is averaging only 12 points per game and shooting 12 of 35 (34 percent) from the floor.
While Jackson-Davis has slowed down, Race Thompson has picked up his play. The senior forward has led Indiana, averaging 15.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game over the last five contests. Thompson began the stretch with a pair of 18-point games against Maryland and Penn State, and is coming off a 13-point, 14-rebound performance against Michigan State.
With Parker Stewart suspended against Northwestern, Trey Galloway started in his spot and tallied 13 points and five rebounds. Galloway got the nod against Michigan State as well, but totaled just one point (1-6 shooting), one assist and three rebounds. Does Mike Woodson hand the offense back over to Stewart?
With Wisconsin struggling to score recently, it won't get any easier against a Hoosiers group that tops the Big Ten in scoring defense (63.8) and opponent field goal percentage (40 percent). Indiana is also second in the league in opponent three-point percentage (31 percent) and blocked shots (5.4). UW has totaled 70 points just once in the last five games. Over that same stretch, UW is shooting just 25 of 101 from three.
The Badgers have yet to lose consecutive games this season, and to maintain a perfect record following losses, it will have to knock off an Indiana team that is 13-2 at home. Wisconsin's headliner, Johnny Davis is coming off an 11-point performance against Rutgers. But the sophomore wing put together a 23-point showing in the first meeting against Indiana and is averaging 23.0 points per game on 47 percent shooting away from home.
Tuesday's game will be the 175th meeting in the series between the two schools with Indiana leading the series, 97-78. Wisconsin has won 22 of the last 25 matchups, including 9 of the last 10.
| Pos. | Wisconsin | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Chucky Hepburn (Fr.) |
6-2, 211 |
7.5 |
2.1 |
2.0 |
|
G |
Brad Davison (Sr.) |
6-4, 200 |
14.4 |
4.1 |
2.0 |
|
W |
Jonathan Davis (So.) |
6-5, 194 |
20.3 |
8.2 |
2.4 |
|
F |
Tyler Wahl (Jr.) |
6-9, 221 |
11.6 |
5.7 |
1.7 |
|
F |
Steven Crowl (So.) |
7-0, 234 |
9.1 |
4.3 |
1.5 |
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| Pos. | Indiana | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Xavier Johnson (Sr.) |
6-3, 200 |
10.4 |
3.6 |
4.5 |
|
G |
Trey Galloway (So.) |
6-4, 200 |
6.0 |
1.8 |
1.8 |
|
F |
Miller Kopp (Sr.) |
6-7, 220 |
6.0 |
2.5 |
1.1 |
|
F |
Race Thompson (Sr.) |
6-8, 235 |
11.7 |
7.8 |
1.7 |
|
F |
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Jr.) |
6-9, 245 |
17.5 |
8.3 |
1.8 |
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