Preview: No. 21 Wisconsin resumes Big Ten season against Hawkeyes

No. 21 Wisconsin (9-3) vs. Iowa (8-5)

Game: Tuesday, Jan. 2 in the Kohl Center

Time: 6:00 P.M. CT

Watch: BTN

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

Prediction: Wisconsin 77, Iowa 68

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin -5.5 (according to ESPN BET)

As the new year begins, with it comes the start of Big Ten season. The Wisconsin Badgers will welcome the Iowa Hawkeyes to the Kohl Center on Tuesday night, with both teams eager to begin the conference season with a win.

The Badgers will resume a normal schedule after playing just three games over the last 23 days. This could make it difficult to start fast and/or maintain a consistent rhythm, especially against an Iowa team with such a prolific offense.

These Hawkeyes may have a decent overall record, but their recent performances haven’t been very inspiring, despite entering on a three-game winning streak.

In early December, the Hawkeyes lost three straight games against three solid teams. They even lost to Michigan despite being favored.

Since then, they’ve won three straight, albeit against some mediocre competition. The combined record of the Hawkeyes’ three recent opponents is 13-25.

Iowa may not be a great team, but they’ll at least enter with confidence.

Their great strength is the fact that they simply have one of the best offenses in the country. They’re ninth in the country in points per game at 87.8, including 98 per game over the recent three-game winning streak.

Iowa’s best player this season, and the leader of their offense, has been forward Ben Krikke. The fifth-year senior transferred to Iowa after spending four years at Valparaiso, and he’s adjusted to the higher level without skipping a beat. He’s currently 10th in the Big Ten in scoring with 17.0 points per game, on an impressive 59% shooting.

Alongside Krikke, Iowa’s other most valuable player this season has been wing Payton Sandfort. He’s one of the most versatile and consistent players on the Hawkeyes — averaging 13.8 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game, including 15.6 points per game during the win streak.

In the backcourt, their premier guard has been Tony Perkins. He’s been a consistent scorer all season, averaging 13.2 points per game, but his playmaking has been the highlight for the Hawkeyes recently. Perkins has accumulated 22 total assists during the winning streak.

On the other side for Wisconsin, their standout transfer has been A.J. Storr, who’s coming off of perhaps the best game of his career. In the 80-53 win over Chicago State, Storr finished with 29 points on 11-18 shooting from the field and 3-5 from behind the arc. He was able to take advantage of a smaller Chicago State lineup that constantly allowed open lanes to the basket. This won’t be as easy against the bigger lineups of the Big Ten.

Their other biggest contributor this season has consistently been veteran big man Steven Crowl. The junior averaged 15.4 points on 61.9% shooting in the month of December, leading Wisconsin to a 4-1 record over that span.

Unlike in some of Wisconsin’s recent games, they ultimately won’t have as significant of an advantage in size or talent against the Hawkeyes.

Iowa’s most glaring weakness, however, is their defense. They may be one of the best scoring teams in the country, but they also rank 312th in the country out of 362 teams in points allowed per game.

If the Badgers can start hot and not let Iowa develop a significant lead, they should begin the Big Ten season with a victory.

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