The last time the No. 2 Badgers (7-0 Big Ten, 21-1) faced the No. 25 Indiana Hoosiers (5-2, 15-5), things were not pretty for UW. The embattled Badgers fell to the Hoosiers in the 2006 Big Ten tournament's second round 61-56.
But things were different back then. The Badgers had lost six of their last 10 and were without Greg Stiemsma and Marcus Landry because of academic ineligibility. Marco Killingsworth starred for the Hoosiers and D.J. White was sitting on the bench with an injury. Now, Stiemsma and Landry are key contributors to possibly the deepest team in the country, Killingsworth has graduated, and White is now leading Indiana in scoring.
But the main difference is on the Indiana sideline. With embattled head coach Mike Davis fired and coaching at Alabama-Birmingham, the Hoosiers brought in the lauded ex-Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson. And while the Badgers will prepare the same way they always do for their opponent, going into Indiana will be a little different this time.
""I guess you could look at it as a non-conference game,"" senior guard Kammron Taylor said. ""Since he's a new coach bringing in a new system, it's something that we're not used to.""
Something will have to give as the Badgers take their 5-0 road mark to Indiana, which sports an 11-0 record at home. UW has been red hot though, having won a nation-best and school-record 17-straight en route to their 21-1 record, also the best start in school history.
Indiana, on the other hand, and their fans will certainly be amped for the matchup. With the Hoosiers being spared a home game against Ohio State this season, the game against the Badgers will be the most important Hoosiers fans will see all season.
""We're going to get their best effort and we're prepared for that. We've gone into some pretty hostile environments and have been okay,"" assistant coach Howard Moore said. ""This will be a tough test and it'll give us a good indication of where we are.""
If senior forward Alando Tucker's performance is any measuring stick of the Badgers' success so far this season, then they must be doing well. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, sharing the honor with OSU's freshman center Greg Oden, has been unstoppable. He scored 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting Saturday in Iowa and is one of the favorites to take home the national Player of the Year award.
Tucker attributes his recent success to the tape that was removed from his thumb. Having bruised the finger against OSU, he finally removed the tape in Iowa City and could not be happier.
""I'm feeling good. I'm feeling back in rhythm,"" Tucker said. ""My shots feeling really good. Being able to take the tape off my shooting hand, it helped me out with my confidence.""
In dealing with Indiana, there are two main focuses on defense. Their explosive offense runs through White, who leads the Hoosiers in scoring with 14.2 per game. The big man, who missed significant time last season, has been unstoppable at times, taking home the Big Ten Player of the Week award the week before.
Senior center Jason Chappell, who has spent a lot of time defending White knows he has to make the big man uneasy in the low post.
""He's real long and athletic. It's pretty much the same with all post players, just try to not let him get deep position,"" Chappell said. ""And if he's going to catch it, make him catch it off the block and try to make him do things that he's not comfortable doing.""
Like OSU, Indiana is an extremely proficient 3-point shooting team. The veteran play of guards Roderick Wilmont and Earl Calloway goes without saying, but the inspiring play of freshman Armon Bassett has been much needed. Bassett is shooting over 42 percent from 3-point range and is one of six Hoosier players shooting over 37 percent. And like the Badgers, the Hoosiers have many players who can score with six players averaging over eight points per game.
For the UW guards, especially defensive specialist Michael Flowers, closing out on the perimeter shooters is integral.
""We got to make sure we don't give them too much space and make sure we have a high hand out there when we close out and just try to get them uncomfortable,"" the junior guard said.
When the Badgers tip off later today at 6 p.m., they will not go in without advice from their veteran leader Tucker about playing in Assembly Hall.
""I told them it's tough. It's a different type of gym. It's a real old-school type of atmosphere,"" Tucker said. ""The good thing about it is, I told them that they wear similar colors to us. So you'll see a lot of red with the fans.""
