Wisconsin's last matchup against Minnesota brings up painful memories for UW, an overtime loss in which the Badgers surrendered a six-point lead with under a minute left in regulation. On Wednesday night, the UW men's basketball team (9-7 Big Ten, 18-10 overall) will have a chance for redemption when they travel to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers (8-8, 20-8).
Both teams have just two regular season games remaining. This matchup will be critical in determining the post-season positions of both the Badgers and Gophers.
Wisconsin is coming off an important 60-55 win over the Michigan Wolverines last Sunday. After Michigan State snapped the Badgers' five-game winning streak just a week earlier, Wisconsin was able to take down Michigan by getting back to its strong defense late in the second half.
Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan attributes part of this defensive success to his guards and their chasing ability in matchups against opposing teams. Ryan has seen defensive progression in several players over the course of the season.
""First of all, you've got to be a worker and you've got to learn the technique, and the longer you're doing it, you tend to get a little better at it,"" Ryan said. ""Jason [Bohannon] is a lot better this year than he's ever been, and Jordan's learning. Trévon Hughes' better. But it's not easy.""
On the offensive end, junior guard Trévon Hughes has led Wisconsin in scoring in each of the last three games. During those contests, he averaged 17.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. But Hughes has also averaged three turnovers and just 2.3 assists. Ryan still expects plenty of improvement from his starting point guard as the Badgers gear up for post-season competition.
""There are still some things that he could have done a lot better,"" Ryan said. ""I can't say one way or the other because it's always the next 40 minutes. He did some good things, but there's some other things he let get away from him, so we've just got to keep working at those things. It's a constant.""
After taking down the Badgers at the Kohl Center in mid-January, the Gophers have cooled off, winning just four of their last 11 games. More recently, the Gophers lost five of their last seven games, including a 52-41 loss at Illinois last Thursday.
Minnesota junior guard Lawrence Westbrook lit up the Badgers for 29 points in their last matchup. Westbrook is the team's leading scorer with 12.2 points per game, while sophomore guard Al Nolen is tied for fourth in the conference with 4.6 assists per game. The Gophers also rank second in the Big Ten with 35.3 rebounds per game and third in scoring with 67.5 points per game.
The Badgers have had just two days of rest between their last game and Wednesday's contest. Ryan says his players are used to the grind of a tight schedule.
""You know, you just have to do it,"" Ryan said. ""It's like anything else that we tell the players. Everything they're doing now as a student athlete will prepare them for what's coming later. This is just basketball.""
Tipoff for Wednesday's matchup against the Gophers is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live from Williams Arena on the Big Ten Network.
