The Wisconsin men's basketball team faces a steep obstacle on Wednesday as they attempt to upset Big Ten leader Indiana (8-2 Big Ten, 16-7 overall) on the road.
The Badgers (7-5 Big Ten, 14-11 overall) have not escaped Assembly Hall with a victory since 1977, when Head Coach Bo Ryan served as an assistant coach at UW.
\They've got a good program, good history, good tradition. It's tough winning [at Indiana],"" Ryan said.
Junior guard Kirk Penney agrees. ""You walk in there and see the [championship] banners. Once the game starts, you're surrounded by red and the crowd's just unreal, and they're right on you,"" Penney said. ""It's great. It's a fun atmosphere to play in.""
Whether it will be fun or not depends on how the Badgers, who are 1-5 in Big Ten road games, play in the opening minutes. Two weeks ago in Ann Arbor against Michigan, the Badgers struggled in the first half, shooting only 25.9 percent (7 of 27) from the field. The 22-point first half output proved too much to overcome as the Badgers lost 64-53.
Wisconsin hopes to carry some momentum into Bloomington after defeating former Big Ten leader Ohio State last Wednesday and pounding Northwestern on Saturday by 29 points.
Sophomore guard Freddie Owens believes they can do just that. ""We have to come out and play tough and aggressive defense, execute our offense and we should be in the game,"" Owens said.
For Wisconsin to pull off the victory, they will need to contain Indiana's high-powered offense led by sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, junior guard Tom Coverdale and junior guard Kyle Hornsby. Jeffries' long and lanky 6'1"" frame will cause match up problems for any team, including the Badgers. He has the ability to post up down low or step outside and hit the three-pointer.
Penney says Jeffries is a player you definitely have to be concerned with. ""It's just a matter of keeping him under control and making sure he doesn't get any open looks.""
Coverdale and Hornsby, on the other hand, are more of an outside threat. Both shoot an astounding 50 percent from three-point range in conference games. As a team, Indiana shoots 43.9 percent from beyond the arc, leading the Big Ten in three-point shooting.
Wisconsin hopes to match Indiana's firepower tonight in Hoosier territory. Five players scored in double figures against Northwestern on Saturday, led by senior forward Charlie Wills' 16 points and Kirk Penney, who contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds. They will need similar production if they expect to compete with the Hoosiers and end their 25-year drought in Bloomington.
Penney added, ""We need to go out there and play some good basketball. You play for the big games like this. You got to love them.\
