The Badgers and their fans would like to forget their most recent appearance at home, last Saturday's devastating 72-67 loss to Purdue. But after winning on the road against Indiana on Wednesday, Wisconsin will have a chance to build on their victory as the Minnesota Gophers visit the Kohl Center for the first time this season.
In the last meeting between the two teams in Minneapolis, the Badgers dominated, taking a 39-23 lead into halftime and winning 63-47.
Sophomore guard Trevon Hughes led all scorers with 20 points while senior center Brian Butch and junior forward Marcus Landry poured in 11 points each.
However, the real difference in the contest was Wisconsin's suffocating defense, which held Minnesota to a low in points for a game this season.
Wisconsin assistant coach Gary Close feels the Badgers should be able to repeat this performance if they focus on their previous matchup against the Gophers.
We just played really solid right from the get-go,"" Close said. ""They're a really good rebounding team. We kept them off the boards for the most part and did a good job containing [Spencer] Tollackson and [Dan] Coleman, who are outstanding post players. It was a really good team effort so we just need to do the same things we did there.""
The Gophers are led by a trio of seniors that are also the team's top three scorers. Senior forward Dan Coleman is averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds, both team highs. Senior guard Lawrence McKenzie is the team's second-leading scorer with 10.9 points per contest, while leading the Gophers in assists with 3.1 per game. Lastly, senior center Spencer Tollackson has been a steady force in the post, averaging 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds a game. All of these players must be contained on defense for Wisconsin to give themselves a good chance to win.
Minnesota has been strong offensively as of late, with wins in three of its last four and a 92-point outburst against Northwestern. Still, the Gophers have a lot to prove with only the sixth-best record in the conference. They are still lacking a signature victory in Big Ten play.
Through Feb. 10, Wisconsin still had the best scoring defense in the Big Ten, limiting their opponents to a mere 56.6 points per game. Junior forward Joe Krabbenhoft attributes this success to hard work and consistency throughout the season.
""We've just practiced the same way from day one,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""Today our first drills were getting back on defense, transition and protecting the rim - we talk about that every day. It started with day one and it's continued to day whatever, 110. Things haven't changed around here and I think that's why consistently we go out there every game and try to do what we do on defense. We've just got to stay grounded, keep attention, go out there and execute.""
Another positive quality Wisconsin has seen from its defense as of late is production from its regular rotation and bench. All year, the Badgers have benefited from a balanced scoring attack and good effort on both sides of the ball. Close believes Wisconsin's team chemistry has been a major factor in many of its important wins.
""I think it's one of the biggest strengths of the team,"" Close said. ""We've got good chemistry - people understand their roles and basically all they want to do is win, whatever we can do to keep winning is what everyone is involved in.""
Wisconsin will try to maintain this level of consistency with at the 1 p.m. tipoff on Saturday. The Kohl Center's fans will be eager to avenge their second home loss to a Big Ten team since Bo Ryan took over the head-coaching position at UW.
