The University of Wisconsin basketball team (8-3 Big Ten, 18-5 overall) is on the brink of a return to the top 25, and all that stands in the way of the hottest team in the Big Ten is this season's nemesis--the road.
After two huge home victories in front of capacity crowds against Michigan State and Indiana, talk has once again shifted to the Badgers repeating as Big Ten Champions. Anyone attempting to purchase tickets for the Indiana game realized this fact as they waited in the bitter cold for tickets that were nearly impossible to come by.
However, the Badgers still have several important games, starting with a crucial road contest against the Penn State Nittany Lions (0-10, 5-16). Although their record does not impress, the Nittany Lions are usually competitive at home. Just ask the Badgers, who lost 51-49 in January last year to Penn State.
The Badgers have hopefully solved their road woes after a solid performance against the improved Northwestern Wildcats. Sophomore forward Mike Wilkinson will be the first one to tell you that they are more focused than ever.
\We have to come out and play our game of basketball, we have to play the whole 40 minutes otherwise it's going to be a long night,"" Wilkinson said. ""They [Penn State] are as good as any team in the conference when they shoot the ball well.""
With the Badgers clicking on all cylinders they just might be too much for Penn State to handle down the stretch.
""We feel like were really coming together. We are starting to find each other off screens. We're getting more confidence in each other, playing defense,"" Wilkinson said. ""We already had a lot of confidence in each other, but now we're reaching a new level and anything is possible.""
On the opposite end of the Big Ten are the lowly Lions. Penn State has lost 10 straight games, including a 31-point shellacking at the Kohl Center Feb. 1 that should have them revved up for payback.
Junior guard Sharif Chambliss has been a bright spot for the Lions, averaging 14.5 points per game. Chambliss is also shooting a scorching 93 percent from the free throw line and leads the Big Ten averaging three three-pointers per game.
The Lions have also benefited from the recent strong play of freshman forward Aaron Johnson, who has pulled down over seven rebounds per game and chipped in seven points per game.
Penn State has a very capable lineup with some size to throw around on the inside. The Nittany Lions sport 7-foot sophomore forward Jan Jagla, and at 6'9"" and 250 pounds, Johnson is no slouch either.
For the Nittany Lions, this year has seemed to be a tale of two seasons. They nearly pulled huge upsets against Minnesota and Purdue--only losing by a combined five points--and they have been absolutely embarrassed by Wisconsin and Michigan State--losing by a combined 65 points. Which Penn State team will show up tomorrow, nobody knows. Not that Head Coach Bo Ryan cares.
""[Wisconsin] is the only team I have control over,"" Ryan said. ""We will prepare for this one just like we did for Indiana.""
If the Badgers play like they did against the Hoosiers, then Penn State is in big trouble. Freshmen forward Alando Tucker summed up the Badger's success after practice Monday.
""It's a team game, going out there we feel we can beat anybody. That's how it has to be when you play the game of basketball,"" Tucker said. ""You want to compete and play hard and just stay consistent. We want to play our basketball no matter where we go.""
With the recent team chemistry the Badgers can be sure about one thing ... they are going places. Next stop the AP and Coaches Poll. After that we will have to wait and see.
