Last year when Iowa and Wisconsin met for the second time, Wisconsin was in the midst of a season-ending four-game losing streak while Iowa was on its way to a second-place finish in the conference and a Big Ten tournament title. This season, the situation is a little different.
The Hawkeyes are balancing on the bubble for the NCAA tournament and need a win in Madison to bolster their chances of avoiding the NIT. The Badgers are one of the top teams in the Big Ten but must remain wary of the Iowa team that upset a ranked Indiana squad one week ago.
Iowa's offensive success has been based mostly on Big Ten scoring leader Adam Haluska and freshman small forward Tyler Smith. The duo has accounted for over half of the Hawkeyes' shots and points but was held to 24 points on 6-of-35 shooting when the Badgers visited Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has the highest free-throw percentage in the Big Ten, so it will be important for the Badgers to keep them off the charity stripe.
Defensively, Iowa ranks near the bottom of the conference, and one player who will have a chance to take advantage of that is junior forward/center Brian Butch. In the last meeting between these teams, Butch had 13 points and 14 rebounds. His work on the defensive glass will be important since Iowa collected 15 offensive boards the last time these teams played.
""Well, you have to be hungry for the ball ... you've got to have a nose for it,"" Badger coach Bo Ryan said of Butch's development as a rebounder. ""Defensively, his length will put him in position to get some rebounds... Northwestern did a better job on Brian the second time than they did the first time. Brian had defensive rebounds but not offensive rebounds.""
Last season, Steve Alford led the Hawkeyes to one of their best records in school history and a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament. All of that fell apart, however, with a one point loss to Northwestern State in the tournament. This season, Iowa went just 8-6 in non-conference play.
Since Big Ten play began, the Badgers have had a great deal of trouble getting their outside shots to fall. They have hit only 28.6 percent of their 3-pointers in conference play, a number that has led to an increase in the amount of zone defenses the Badgers have seen.
Iowa has had its share of troubles this season, which is to be expected from a squad returning only two of its starters. The Hawkeyes' road upset of Michigan, however, showed they are not to be taken lightly. If the Badgers remain focused and control Haluska and Smith, they should stay undefeated in the Kohl Center.
