No. 24 Wisconsin (9-2, 1-1) vs. Illinois State (8-5, 1-0)
Game: Wednesday, Dec. 29 inside the Kohl Center
Time: 7:00 P.M. CT
Watch: Big Ten Network (Matt Schumacker and Trent Meacham)
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Prediction: Wisconsin 67, Illinois State 53
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
PRE-GAME NOTES
Wisconsin wraps up non-conference play against Illinois State at the Kohl Center on Wednesday evening. The matchup will be the first action for Greg Gard's group since a tough win over Nicholls State back on Dec. 15.
UW was scheduled to host George Mason last week before a "decision was made by UW medical officials after positive COVID-19 tests were found within the Wisconsin program," according to a release. Being able to suit up and play a game before conference action resumes on Monday will be beneficial for the the Badgers, who will travel to West Lafayette to play a top-five Purdue team.
It's tough to forecast exactly what UW will look like on Wednesday and who will have available. A mix of Jahcobi Neath, Jonathan Davis, Carter Gilmore and Lorne Bowman all previously missed time this year due to either illness or, in Neath's case, injury. After feeling a sense of relief that they finally had a full room last week, Wisconsin's staff could be back to shuffling available bodies.
Monday and Tuesday's practices one week ago were the first since the beginning of the season in which Gard had his full squad.
“It was crowded at practice,” Gard said at the time. “I had to take attendance because I couldn’t believe they were all here.”
The Redbirds bring with them a high-powered offense that currently sits at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring at 80.4 points per game. Junior guard Antonio Reeves leads the league in scoring at 20.8 points per contest. On the defensive end, Illinois State's 6.2 blocked shots per game puts it at No. 10 in the country in the category.
Wednesday night will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs with UW leading, 2-1. Illinois State is 12-63 all-time against nationally ranked teams. The school's most recent win come during the 2015-16 season against No. 21 Wichita State.
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