After the Wisconsin men's basketball team (6-4 Big Ten, 16-7 overall) had lost five of six games, their date with Penn State Saturday was looking more and more like one they could let slip, instead of a sure win. After all, the Nittany Lions (3-7 Big Ten, 11-10 overall) upset Illinois, ending the Illini's 33-game home winning streak.
That was all before Wednesday night, when the Badgers soundly beat No. 21 Indiana 72-54 and Penn State fell at home to lowly Minnesota. No matter how you serve up the game, however, it is a must-win for Wisconsin.
'We have an advantage in that we already saw them on our home court,' said sophomore center Brian Butch. 'Knowing your opponents is always important.'
The game Butch is referring to was a 72-43 blow out of Penn State at the Kohl Center. But who knows which Nittany Lion team will show up Saturday.
'They throw some pretty tough man-to-man schemes at you and force you to shoot the ball,' Butch added. 'It will come down to who will make their shots.'
Shooting has been a problem for the Badgers as of late, but Wednesday against Indiana, junior Alando Tucker found a groove and scored a game-high 29 for Wisconsin.
In addition to the improved shooting, head coach Bo Ryan put together a tough defensive scheme to stop Hoosier star Marco Killingsworth. Using freshmen Joe Krabbanhoft and Kevin Gullikson, the Badgers forced Indiana to shoot, which favored the Badgers as Indiana shot under 30 percent on the night.
A similar defensive effort will be needed Saturday to stop Penn State guard Geary Claxton. Claxton was able to put up 17 points in Madison last month, but he was a one-man show.
The lack of star players was no problem for Purdue last weekend, which had their three best players out with injuries but was still able to beat Wisconsin 70-62. The effort Krabbanhoft and Gullikson give could be the difference against Penn State.
It is still to be known whether Ryan will continue to use the freshmen or go back to Chappell and Butch, who only played a combined 14 minutes Wednesday night. Butch's recent ankle injury could explain the lack of minutes.
As to whether or not the sophomore center will return to the starting lineup Saturday: 'I had a full practice [Thursday] and am ready to go. It's up to coach Ryan as to how much I will play,' Butch said.
