The No. 13 Wisconsin men's basketball team (4-0 Big Ten, 14-2 overall) will face its toughest conference road test so far this season when they head to Ohio State to take on the No. 19 Buckeyes (2-2 Big Ten, 14-2 overall).
The Badgers are coming off of a 68-52 victory over Northwestern at the Kohl Center, and are undefeated since Big Ten play began. Head coach Bo Ryan is not surprised by the team's success this season.
'All I know is at this level you have high-caliber competitors that believe that every time they play a game they think they're going to get it done,' Ryan said. 'Would you want it any differently'?
Wisconsin will have a lot on its hands defensively against Ohio State, the top scoring team in conference play (80.5 points per game). The Buckeyes have five players averaging double digits in scoring, led by senior center Terrence Dials.
Dials, averaging 15.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, put up 19 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals in the Buckeyes' 62-59 double-overtime loss to Michigan State Sunday.
'Dials can play inside,' Ryan said. 'He's got a left hand. He's got a right hand. He seems like he's in his best shape.'
Balancing out Dials' dominance in the paint is Ohio State's potent 3-point game, second in the conference with a .417 percentage. Junior guard Je'Kel Foster is the team's most deadly shooter with a .493 3-point percentage, despite shooting just 2-of-10 from the arc against the Spartans.
'You know what they can do outside,' Ryan said. 'So we've got to figure out how to guard them.'
The Badgers are lead in conference play by junior forward Alando Tucker's 21.5 points-per-game, which is second, and sophomore center Greg Stiemsma's 2.25 blocks-per-game ranks third in the Big Ten.
For the Badgers and coach Ryan, though, the key to victory has yet to change.
'It's always a combination of the shooting and the defense,' Ryan said. 'So it's going to depend on the flow of the game.'
