Wisconsin (14-10) vs. Michigan (14-11)

Game: Tuesday, Feb. 14 inside the Kohl Center

Time: 8:00 P.M CT

Watch: ESPN2

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

Prediction: Michigan 65, Wisconsin 63

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Close to exactly a year ago, Wisconsin basketball hosted Michigan at the Kohl Center. Behind a 25-point showing from Johnny Davis, the No.15 Badgers toppled the Wolverines, 77-63.

What's more memorable about that game, however, is what happened after the final whistle. Michigan head coach Juwan Howard slapped Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft across the face in the handshake line, sparking a scuffle and stoking the flames of rivalry between the two programs. The teams haven't met since, but that's not to say they've forgotten what transpired.

"Wisconsin, I mean they're just...they're just...they're scumbags, that's what it is," Michigan center Hunter Dickinson said on Barstool Sports' "RoundBall" podcast in early January.

It's certainly an interesting comment coming from the team whose coach was suspended five games and fined $40,000 for his blatantly unsportsmanlike actions. Dickinson's remark went viral, and it's safe to say both programs have had this game circled for some time now.

Wisconsin and Michigan have similar records but are in much different situations. Despite having a worse overall record than the Badgers (loosing to Central Michigan will do that), the Wolverines are sitting at 8-6 in the conference and in the drivers seat to secure a tournament bid. At 6-8 in the Big Ten, Wisconsin desperately needs to collect conference wins as they try to sneak into the big dance.

The Badgers are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Nebraska in which they blew a 17-point lead. Michigan is fresh off a razor-thin, one-point loss to Indiana in which it failed to score over the final five minutes of action.

Michigan's offense runs through Dickinson, the 7-foot-1' center who averages 17.9 points and 8.4 rebounds. Dickinson has been one of the best big men in the conference since he earned a starting job in December of his freshman year. When these two teams met last year, Dickinson was a problem for the Badgers, scoring 21 points with great efficiency while collecting five rebounds.

A season ago, Davis was the focal point for Wisconsin. Now, Chucky Hepburn and Steven Crowl are the top offensive options for the Badgers, and the latter will be tasked with containing Dickinson in what should be a wildly entertaining matchup.

While Dickinson has been a star in this league for a while, Crowl has come into his own this season and largely done a good job holding down the paint for Wisconsin. He still needs to be more efficient finishing at the rim, but the junior has developed nicely for the Badgers. Both centers boast elite footwork, overpowering size and an underrated ability to shoot the three. Dickinson is shooting 40.5% this season from downtown, while Crowl's 26.5% from deep is deceptive — he's a much better shooter than that number indicates.

Jett Howard is Michigan's second leading scorer, and the son of head coach Juwan has had a phenomenal freshman season. Howard is averaging 14.8 points on 43/39/80 shooting splits. Howard has been getting some NBA draft consideration after just one year, and it'll be interesting to see how the Badgers try to slow him down.

Despite fielding a young team, with two freshman and a sophomore in the starting five, Michigan plays with veteran poise. They rarely turn the ball over, and more often than not do the little things right. They're top-50 in the nation in both steal and block percentage, according to KenPom.

How Wisconsin elects to attack the Wolverines offensively will be fascinating. In their loss to Nebraska, there was a clear focus on getting to the paint early. However, the last time Crowl had to go up against an elite big man in Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, he only mustered five points. Crowl will assuredly be hungry to prove he can compete with the top centers in the league come Tuesday.

There's no lost love between these two teams as they fittingly clash on Valentines Day. Expect physical play, a healthy dose of trash talk, and the most awkward postgame handshake line of the season.

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