When the Butler Bulldogs (13-6, 5-2) of the Midwest Collegiate Conference visit the Kohl Center tonight, they had better be ready for a heavyweight tussle.
With a Wisconsin defense that has swarmed the opposition at home this season, the Bulldogs will need the same kind of offensive output from guards Thomas Jackson and La Vall Jordan, who racked up an impressive 42 combined points against Loyola last Saturday, to have a shot at a nonconference victory.
Wisconsin (13-4, 4-3) is not taking this nonconference game lightly. The Badgers are riding high after three consecutive home victories against Big Ten opponents.
Wisconsin realizes the importance of gaining another home win and building momentum before embarking on a critical series of road games.
Butler is no pancake for the Badgers. The Bulldogs are currently in a tie for first in the MCC and have a history of taking top-ranked teams to the brink.
One needs not look further than Butler's near upset of eventual the Final Four runner-up Florida Gators last season.
In fact, Butler's style of play is very similar to the gritty ways of Big Ten teams.
Though Butler and UW have not squared off recently, forward Mark Vershaw noted the similarity of the teams' tenacious tendencies.
\It's going to be one of those games that if we're not looking, they're going to pound us,"" Vershaw said.
And after Penn State's near upset bid in the waning moments of Saturday night's game, look for the Badgers to come out alert and step up the press on what could be a very loose and dangerous Butler squad.
More important than anything else in this evening's matchup will be the momentum boost and carry over Wisconsin needs for the next stretch of its challenging schedule, which includes a road game at Michigan, home against Purdue and road contests at Illinois and Indiana.
Not only are the Badgers going for their fourth straight win, but Butler is a good representation of the type of squad that Wisconsin could see early in the NCAA Tournament.
""We're looking at Butler like a Big Ten game, and we're not looking at them as anything less than a Michigan State or an Illinois,"" Boone said. ""You never know, we might see them again in the tournament.""
Though the Badgers don't necessarily see the matchup as a ""break"" from Big Ten action, the game comes at a critical point in the season and the squad realizes this.
""If we're going to make a run at the Big Ten title, we've got to learn how to win on the road,"" Vershaw said.
Because it is very difficult for teams to win on the road, especially in the Big Ten this season, garnering victories on one's homecourt is crucial.
Home court has been extra special for the Badgers this season, as Wisconsin has posted a perfect 9-0 record on the Kohl Center floor, as Boone pointed out.
""This is the Big Ten and you've got to defend your home court,"" Boone said. ""That's our job.\
