No. 14 Wisconsin (13-4, 7-3) vs. Penn State (5-7, 2-6)
Game: Saturday, Jan. 30 inside the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania
Time: 2:00 PM
Watch: BTN (Brandon Gaudin and Brian Butch)
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
PRE-GAME NOTES
No. 14 Wisconsin has a chance to string together wins with back-to-back contests against Penn State, which currently sits at No. 13 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions come in having dropped five of their last seven but gave Ohio State all it could handle in their most recent outing.
Penn State is the ultimate measurement of just how deep the conference is this season. The Nittany Lions have impressive wins over Virginia Tech, Rutgers and Northwestern, while three of their losses have come by four points or fewer. A fourth defeat was by six points in overtime against Seton Hall.
"A lot of the games that they have lost have been close games, so we're not paying attention to their record," senior wing Aleem Ford said. "They’re a better team at home, they’re scrappy and they fight to the end. We know both of these games, we’re going to have to bring our all. Like any game in the Big Ten, you have to bring it every day because it’ll be a loss if you don’t.”
The Nittany Lions' edge shows up on the defensive end. They are second in the Big Ten in steals, forcing 8.4 per contest. They also cause the most turnovers in the league with 14.7 per game.
For as much as it turns teams over, though, Penn State is allowing 76.8 points a game, the worst clip in the league. Much like Maryland, PSU uses a smaller lineup, with their tallest player being senior forward John Harrar (6-foot-9. No matter what the numbers may say, though, Wisconsin is staying locked in on its assignment.
“The statistics may say something but they are super scrappy, so you also have to be careful," senior forward Micah Potter told reporters Friday afternoon. "They jump passing lanes, they trap, they dig hard in the post, so you have to make sure you’re aware of your surroundings when you get in there because they are really good at digging the ball out and getting steals.”
On the offensive end, the duo of Myreon Jones and Izaiah Brockington lead the team. Jones currently sits at eighth in the conference, averaging 15.4 per contest. Brockington is 12th in the Big Ten with 15.0 points a game. He is coming off an 18-point performance against Ohio State.
Forward John Harrar may only measure in at 6-foot-9, but the senior has been a problem to keep off the glass. Harrar sits sixth in the conference with 8.3 rebounds a game. He is coming off a 15-point, 10-rebound game against the Buckeyes. More impressively, Harrar ranks seventh in the nation with 4.0 offensive rebounds a game.
"The biggest thing watching film, the coaches are emphasizing that you can’t look at their record for how good of a team this is," Potter said. "The biggest thing is making sure we are ready to play from the get-go. Understanding what we need to be prepared for. It’s going to be a dog fight. It’s going to be scrappy. We’re going to have to play really hard because they’re going to play really hard.
"We’re going to have to match that intensity but, ultimately, have to continue to play our game. If we play our game, we can beat anyone. Make sure we are ready for their scrappiness and them trying to rush us offensively. But if we play our game we should be OK.”
The back-to-back with Penn State will be the first time Wisconsin plays consecutive games against the same team since 2010. That year it finished the regular season against Illinois and then matched up with the Illini in the Big Ten Tournament.
Saturday afternoon marks the 50th meeting between the two programs. Wisconsin has dominated the series with 39-10 record, including going 18-7 away from home. UW has won 13 straight over Penn State and 26 of the last 28. Gard has a spotless 6-0 record against the Nittany Lions.
