Wisconsin @ Northwestern preview
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 26, 2019 ) Northwestern 46, Wisconsin 62
No. 23 Wisconsin looks to stay in the mix for the Big Ten regular-season championship when it visits struggling Northwestern on Saturday. The Badgers bounced back from a pair of defeats against seventh-ranked Michigan (62-51) and No. 11 Michigan State (67-59) with a 64-58 win against Illinois on Monday, and hope to pull within two games of the first-place Wolverines and Spartans by earning their fourth victory in their last five road tilts.
"With five games left in the season every time you step on the court you're playing for a championship," Wisconsin guard Brad Davison told reporters. "There's got to be a sense of urgency." Northwestern has dropped seven consecutive games, including a 53-49 loss to Ohio State on Wednesday, to see its NCAA Tournament dreams evaporate. The Wildcats have been held to 56 points or fewer six times during their longest losing streak in four years and as hope to avoid being swept in the season series with the Badgers for the first time since 2014-15. "We're going through a tough time right now and we're really struggling offensively," Northwestern coach Chris Collins admitted to reporters. "We just gotta hope that one of these games we can break through offensively and find a way to win."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
ABOUT WISCONSIN (18-8, 10-5 Big Ten): Davison shouldered the scoring load against Illinois with All-American Ethan Happ struggling from the floor, as the sophomore point guard tallied 12 of his team-high 18 points in the second half to go along with seven rebounds. Khalil Iverson stepped up in a big way as he added a season-best 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals after scoring a combined 12 points over his three previous games, as the Badgers beat the Illini for the 15th straight time. Happ, who is averaging 17.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season, was limited to a season-low six points and finished with three turnovers.
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (12-14, 3-12): Senior guard Vic Law scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds against Ohio State to finish in double figures for the 21st time this season and the 68th time in his career. A.J. Turner tallied nine points while Dererk Pardon flirted with a double-double as he added eight points and nine rebounds in his 79th consecutive start, but the Wildcats were doomed by a 31.6 shooting performance from the floor. Ryan Taylor, who is averaging 10.8 points this season, was held to four on 1-of-6 shooting and has been limited to a combined 15 points over his last three games.
TIP-INS
1. Wisconsin has won six of the last seven road meetings with Northwestern.
2. The Wildcats have held 17 opponents to below their scoring average this season.
3. Wisconsin F Nate Reuvers needs one blocked shot to move into sole possession of 15th place on the program's all-time list with 79.
PREDICTION: Wisconsin 67, Northwestern 61