No.21 Wisconsin (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) vs. Iowa (13-9, 4-7 Big Ten)

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

Arena – Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500)

Watch – NBC (Noah Eagle, Nick Bahe and Caroline Pineda)

Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch), Sirius 85 or 390, stream online on iHeartRadio.

Series – Wisconsin leads 90-86 (Iowa leads 54-31 in Iowa City)

Last Meeting - Wisconsin won, 116-85, on January 2, 2025, in Madison

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin – 3.5

Player to Watch: Winter leads UW and ranks seventh in the Big Ten shooting 59.6 percent from the field (min. 10.0 ppg per game). He also leads Big Ten shooting 71.1 percent (64-90) on 2-point FGs. He is trying to become the first Badger to shoot 60 percent from the field while averaging 10.0+ ppg since Patrick Tompkins shot 63.6 percent with 14.1 ppg in 1990-91.

Player to watch: Named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Midseason top 10 on Wednesday, Sandfort has scored at least 20 points five times in the last eight games, giving him a team-best nine 20+ point games this season.

The Badgers have won five of the last six games and are looking for a season sweep for the first time since winning both in 2022.

Wisconsin has gone 5-4 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since 2014 with wins in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2022.

Each of the last two games in Iowa City have gone to overtime with UW winning, 78-75, in 2022 and the Hawkeyes pulling out an 88-86 win last season.

The Badgers' 18-5 record is the team's third-best start under Greg Gard, trailing 2016-17 (20-3) and 2021-22 (19-4).

The Badgers are 11-5 against the top two quadrants of the NET rankings, including six wins in Quad 1 and zero losses outside Quad 1. Only six schools have more Q1 wins than UW.

Wisconsin is averaging 81.3 points per game, fifth in UW history and the highest since the school-record 86.3 ppg in 1970-71. Wisconsin ranks eighth in the nation in offensive efficiency per KenPom. UW's mark of 123.1 would rank as the school's second-highest mark in the KenPom era (1997).

UW has made 10 or more 3-pointers in 13 games this season, which is the most in the Big Ten and matches the highest single-season total in school history. UW's top eight scorers have all hit at least 12 triples on the season.

Ranking seventh in the Big Ten in scoring, Tonje is shooting 52.6 percent on 2FGs, 40.7 percent on 3FGs, and 91.8 percent at the free throw line.

Iowa leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally, averaging 85.5 points per game. The Hawkeyes also have the top field goal percentage (.501) and effective field goal percentage (.582) in the Big Ten, ranking fourth nationally in both categories.

Iowa has shot better than 50 percent from the floor 11 times and better than 60 percent three times.The team is 9-2 when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.

The Hawkeyes have made at least eight 3-point field goals in 18 games, including 10+ in 12 contests. Iowa made 18 in the win over Southern -- the most since 2022 -- and 17 in the win over Nebraska. Iowa is tops in the Big Ten (18th nationally), averaging 10.3 per game.

Iowa leads the Big Ten in assists (19.1, 3rd in NCAA) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86, 3rd in NCAA). The team has had 20+ assists in nine games.

Iowa has rallied to win four games this season when trailing in the second half. Iowa came back from being 15 down in the overtime win over Nebraska on Jan. 7 in Iowa City

If there’s one game that embodies what Wisconsin’s updated offense is trying to achieve, look no further than the January meeting against Iowa.

Wisconsin’s 116-point performance was a Kohl Center record, its 21 three-pointers a Big Ten record, and its 64.5 percent shooting percentage the best for the Badgers in a Big Ten game since 1987. Five players scored in double figures, UW outrebounded Iowa 37-21, and held the Hawkeyes to 38.2 percent in the second half.

Even with the Hawkeyes missing Owen Freeman, their leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker, the Badgers know better than to write this one off.

“Winning is hard and winning on the road in the Big Ten is especially hard,” Klesmit said. “No matter if you are playing in Jersey Mike’s Arena or Carver-Hawkeye. We know they are going to come out and be ready to play at a high level and a fast clip. You can expect a team in Iowa that is going to try to throw the first punch.”

The Hawkeyes’ punches tend to land with their transition offense. Iowa is second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally, averaging 15.45 fast-break points. So, while Freeman’s absence creates a void in the middle, Iowa still is happy to move and shoot with Dix and Sandfort.

Without Freeman on Tuesday for the first time, the guard duo combined for 50 of Iowa’s 81 points in a nine-point loss. Dix scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while Sandfort netted 23 on 9-of-17 shooting with five 3-pointers.

Seeing being exposed on the pick-and-roll at UCLA, Wisconsin’s defense against ball screens, limiting the three-point shot has improved, and preventing post penetration to limit some of the rotations has improved. That will be tested with Iowa.

“They’re going to come as fast as anybody does in our league and put pressure, not only on the rim with their bigs but you got a lot of guys running the wings shooting threes,” Gard said. “Trying to make sure we get our defense set as much as possible and then obviously in the half court. You don’t want to get caught in a lot of rotations. You get caught in rotations, not you got longer closeouts and now you’re rolling the dice if you’re getting to shooters on time.”

Iowa is trying to replace Freeman with a trio of other fives – Mulvey, Ladji Dembele, and Even Brauns. The trio all average less than 3.5 points per game, meaning Crowl should have an advantage in the paint. In six career games against Iowa, Crowl has scored in double figures five times, averaging 13.7 ppg, 6.3 RPG, and 3.0 apg while shooting 67.4 percent (31- 46).

“He’s been very steady,” Gard said of Crowl. “I’ve never got too consumed in his scoring because he facilitates so much. If he draws double teams or extra help, he’s going to create shots for others. We know he’s a very willing passer. It’s a good playmaking position when you can throw the ball to a 7-footer at eight feet and distribute from there.”

Each of the last five meetings at Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been decided by six or fewer points. Without Freeman, I’ll go slightly above that.

Worgull’s Prediction: Wisconsin by 11.

Record: 19-4 (18-5 ATS)

Points off Prediction: 178 (7.7 per game)

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