Both Indiana and Wisconsin come in to Wednesday night's matchup struggling and in desperate need of a victory. They have both slipped lately, but the season is not yet lost for either team.
Despite losing three of their last four, the Hoosiers are ranked 21st and still sit just one game out of the Big Ten lead. Unfortunately for them, they will have to play much of the stretch run on the road. Five of Indiana's final eight games will be away from Bloomington, Ind. The Hoosiers have suffered double-digit losses to Iowa and Minnesota in their last two road contests.
Coach Mike Davis' team is led by senior forward Marco Killingsworth. Killingsworth transferred from Auburn and had to sit out last season due to NCAA regulations. He has returned to the court with a fury. The 6'8'' Killingsworth ranks fourth in the Big Ten in points (18.4 points per game), rebounds (7.6 per game) and field-goal percentage (57 percent). He is doing all that damage while playing just 28 minutes per game, which is far less than the other top players in the conference. Killingsworth has played especially well in big games. He had 34 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Duke and 23 points and 12 boards in a victory over Illinois.
'People might look at it and say all they try to do is get the ball to Killingsworth, but when you have four guards out there who can put the ball on the floor or shoot the three, I definitely feel involved,' junior guard Kammron Taylor said.
While Killingsworth has been a force on the interior, sophomore guard Robert Vaden has led Indiana from the perimeter. Vaden is helping the Hoosiers win just about every facet of the game. He ranks in the top 20 in the Big Ten in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field-goal percentage, 3-point field-goal percentage and 3-pointers made. In a loss to Michigan State, Vaden did his part to keep his team in the game by hitting eight 3-pointers en route to scoring 26 points. His shooting prowess is especially important because it is Indiana's strength. They lead the Big Ten in three-pointers made and 3-point field-goal percentage. The Hoosiers have three players in the top 10 in 3-point percentage.
'They're one of the best teams in the Big Ten at shooting threes, so that will be a challenge,' junior forward Alando Tucker said. 'I'm ready to get out there and see what we've learned so far.'
The Badgers, on the other hand, have struggled to shoot the basketball of late. After shooting 47 percent from the field in their first 16 games, Wisconsin has shot just 36 percent in their last six games. Their opponents have shot 47 percent during that span. The poor shooting has contributed to Wisconsin losing five of those last six contests. The slide began when the Badgers lost Greg Stiemsma and Marcus Landry due to academic ineligibility.
Both Landry and Steimsma provided interior toughness and rebounding. Their absence has been especially evident on the boards. The Badgers have been forced to use smaller and less-experienced players to step in. Kevin Gullickson and Joe Krabbenhoft both stand just 6'7'', but they are being called on to step in the paint and rebound against bigger and more-experienced opponents. In the past three games, Wisconsin has struggled mightily in that area. They are being out-rebounded by their opponents 106-78 over that span. That is a far cry from a team that dominated the rebounding department earlier in the year.
The other problem for Wisconsin has been the lack of a consistent third scorer. Juniors Alando Tucker (18.9 points per game) and Kammron Taylor (15.5 points per game) have provided consistent scoring, but opponents can draw up schemes to contain both players without a consistent third option. It looked like sophomore center Brian Butch could be that guy, but he has struggled mightily of late. He's scored just 31 points in Wisconsin's last five games while shooting just 31 percent from the field. That is low, but it is extremely low for a big man. To his credit, Butch has been struggling with an ankle injury over that span.
After a strong start, the Badgers now find themselves as a bubble team. That means that they will have to pick up their play and finish the season on a high note in order to make the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin has lost two games at home in the last two weeks after losing just one in the past two seasons. A win against Indiana would help re-establish the Kohl Center advantage and get the Badgers back on the right track for the tournament. Indiana has not won in Madison since 1998. They got close last year, before Alando Tucker tipped in a buzzer-beater to continue the win 62-60. Indiana will look to that close game as a springboard to victory this year and for their stretch run for the Big Ten title. Both teams have their eyes focused intently on this game, and it should be a real battle.
