Wisconsin @ Penn St. preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 2, 2019 ) Penn St. 57, Wisconsin 61

No. 20 Penn State looks to bounce back from its first loss in six weeks when it hosts Wisconsin in Big Ten play on Saturday. The Nittany Lions had won five consecutive games to climb into the national rankings for the first time since 1996, but they suffered a 72-61 setback to Rutgers on Tuesday to fall to .500 in conference play, and hope to put the loss in the rearview mirror by ending a 12-game skid in the rivalry with the Badgers.

"The Big Ten is an absolute beast this year," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers told reporters. "We've got to take care of our home court." Wisconsin looked to be heading in the right direction after a disappointing 5-5 start, but dropped a 71-70 decision to Illinois on Thursday. The Badgers had reeled off four straight wins, including a 61-57 road upset of 12th-ranked Ohio State, before D'Mitrik Trice's potential game-winning shot came up short against the Fighting Illini, and they hope to add another win over a ranked opponent to their tournament resume. "That's just life in this league," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard told reporters. "What happened in the past doesn't matter."

TIME: 2:15 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT WISCONSIN (9-6, 2-2): Kobe King scored a game-high 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor, but the Badgers saw their 15-game winning streak against Illinois come to an end. Micah Potter narrowly missed out on a double-double as he added 13 points and nine rebounds while Nate Reuvers, who is averaging a team-best 14.3 points per game this season, was limited to seven against the Fighting Illini. "It really stings especially a game like that where's it's so close," Potter told reporters. "They hit big shots and we didn't."

ABOUT PENN STATE (12-3, 2-2): Myreon Jones knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a team-high 21 points, but the Nittany Lions were undone by a 36.1 shooting performance from the field. Mike Watkins added 17 points and six rebounds while Lamar Stevens tallied 12 points and six boards to finish in double figures for the 100th time in his career. Izaiah Brockington, who scored a career-high 23 points in the win over Iowa at the Palestra in Philadelphia in the previous game, was limited to six points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Penn State has won 13 consecutive home games dating back to last season.

2. Wisconsin is tied for fifth nationally in free-throw percentage (78.6).

3. The Badgers have won seven consecutive road meetings with the Nittany Lions.

PREDICTION: Penn State 73, Wisconsin 68