Wisconsin (9-6, 2-2) vs. No. 20 Penn State (12-3, 2-2)
Game: Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Bryce Jordan Center
Time: 1:15 pm CT (2:15 pm ET)
Watch: BTN (Wayne Randazzo and Shon Morris)
Listen: Badger Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas)
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz, @alow_33
Pre-game Notes
In a Big Ten Conference that is even more confusing than it was two weeks ago, Wisconsin followed up an upset win at Ohio State with a one-point loss to Illinois that came down to the final possession. Arguably the strongest conference in college basketball does not get any easier for the Badgers, who head on the road to face a ranked Penn State squad Saturday afternoon.
Once again, there was a different Badger who stepped up and took a leading role Wednesday evening, as Kobe King did everything he could against the Fighting Illini. The redshirt sophomore put together an efficient, team-high 18 points on 10 of 13 shooting. Balance has been the identity of this UW group and, according to UW game notes, on two separate occasions this season the Badgers have had six players score in double figures.
To beat the Nittany Lions on the road Wisconsin will not only need to have its balanced scoring attack working, but it will also need to shore things up on the defensive end. The Illinois loss saw the Badgers giving up too many easy baskets to Kofi Cockburn and Giorgi Bezhanishvili at the rim. The pair combined to shoot 10 of 13 from the field, and many of those makes were layups or dunks.
Penn State has been a wild card away from the Bryce Jordan Center but has aced all challenges at home. The Nittany Lions are a perfect 9-0 on their home floor, including wins over Maryland, Alabama and Iowa.
A significant portion of the scoring load falls on Lamar Stevens, a senior who many Badgers fans have become familiar with over the years. The Philadelphia native is averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game to go along with nearly seven boards. The 6-foot-8 senior is listed as a forward but has all the skills of a solid combo guard.
Although his outside shooting has taken a dip this season, Stevens is among the elite scorers in college basketball in terms of getting to the rim and beating you in the mid-range area. More so than in recent years, this Nittany Lions team has found offensive balance. They feature four players, including Stevens, whose scoring averages are in double figures.
We will see if another winning streak can be broken as Wisconsin has won its last 12 meetings against Penn State, as well as seven straight wins at the Bryce Jordan Center in Philadelphia.
