In what is normally a battle for the top of the Big Ten conference, the No. 14 Wisconsin (4-4 Big Ten, 17-4 overall) and No. 24 Ohio State (3-5, 16-5) men’s basketball teams will meet under different circumstances Saturday.
Both teams had tremendous starts to the season, as in week 10 they both had 15-0 records and sat comfortably in the top-five rankings in the country. Since Big Ten conference play has begun, the story has become the opposite.
For Ohio State, its struggles began after a tough overtime loss to Michigan State. Since that loss, the Buckeyes have been 1-4 in conference play, including losses to Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and most recently, Penn State.
Wisconsin finds itself in a similar boat as the Buckeyes. After winning its first three conference matchups, UW has also lost 4 of its past 5 games. The Badgers' most recent loss came at home Wednesday, when Northwestern came in and downed Wisconsin, a team that UW previously beat by 27 points.
“They need to forget about what went on in the past, in terms of success or failure, or anything in between,” UW assistant coach Greg Gard said.
Wisconsin has lost two consecutive home games, a feat the Badgers are not used to.
“These teams are coming in and, you know, punching us in the mouth, and we’re not punching back,” sophomore forward Sam Dekker said. “We’re being soft. We’re being, you know, unaggressive. We’re being the team that’s lacking in all the categories that you need to win.”
Saturday will be a test of will for both teams, as they will try to get their seasons back on track.
Ohio State is lead by senior guard Aaron Craft, who is no stranger to the Kohl Center. The last time these two teams met at the Kohl Center was last season, when Wisconsin beat OSU by 22.
The Buckeyes' leading scorer is junior forward LaQuinton Ross, who averages 14.2 points per game, but much like UW, OSU has a good distribution of scoring that reaches into its bench.
“[Head] coach [Thad] Matta always has those guys playing hard,” Dekker said. “They’re going to be hungry, but we got to be too.”
Wisconsin will be looking to improve upon its previous offensive performance, as it only shot 26 percent from the field and 21 percent from beyond the arc.
The 3-point shot is normally one of the Badgers' weapons, as they have shot 45 percent or better in six games so far this season. They shot over 60 percent in three games.
“We need to do a better job just as a whole as a backcourt, regardless of who’s playing there, of distributing better and creating for others,” Gard said.
It is always a battle between these two conference powers. Just last season they split games in the regular season, but Ohio State was able to pull out the win when they met in the Big Ten Championship.
Both teams are in must-win situations, which should set the stage for an exciting matchup Saturday.
“We’ve had teams come here recently and want it more than us and be stronger than us, and it’s time for us to make a stand,” Dekker said. “It’s time for us to stand up and say ‘this is our turn.’”
Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. and will be on ESPN.
