It is a battle of the borders this Sunday with Wisconsin (10-4 Big Ten, 20-6 overall) playing away from home against an always-potent team in the Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-5, 16-8). The game will be a challenge for the Badgers who play away from their home court and have the added pressure of fighting for a share of the Big Ten Title.
The last away game for UW will feature tough play on both sides of the court, but the Badgers have an edge due to their previous win against the Gophers. The tables are turned without home court advantage, although senior guard Kirk Penney does not seem to think so.
\Going into Minnesota, its going to be a situation where we're gonna have to win the game to have a chance at the championship,"" Penney said. ""You can't approach it like a road win. You've just got to find a way to get it done, it's as simple as that. That's the approach we're gonna have. Go up there and do whatever we can to make sure that we get a victory.""
In the hunt for a win, Wisconsin has another advantage in the recent play of sophomore forward Mike Wilkinson. Wilkinson, who has been solid on both sides of the ball--giving opposing teams headaches as they try to defend him--plans on treating it just like any other game.
""They have a lot of good players on their team,"" Wilkinson said. ""We did a pretty good job the first time with giving them tough shots. That's our game plan--make everyone work for everything they get. So we are going to approach it the same way and make them work for everything they get.""
Penney, trying to emulate one of his greatest role models, assistant coach Tony Bennett, is ready for the game with the desire and hunger of a true athlete.
""It's a situation where you're a competitor and you're a player and you just cherish opportunities like this,"" Penney said. ""I'm just so happy that right now the ball is still in our court ... This is where you want to be.""
""It's going to be a hostile environment, in a home environment ... its going to be a tough task. You love challenges and we'll be looking forward to that one.""
The Badgers need to watch out for sophomore forward Rick Rickert, who is an all-American candidate and a big threat for the Gophers. Besides Rickert, junior forward Michael Bauer and sophomore guard Maurice Hargrow help to pace Minnesota's prolific attack.
