While not quite as shiny as their 16-0 undefeated start, the Badgers (8-5 Big Ten, 21-5 overall) will be traveling to Iowa City on quite a hot streak.
After losing five of six games, Wisconsin has won its last four, two of them against ranked opponents, and could jump Iowa for third place in the Big Ten standings with a win Saturday.
Anyone who watched the Hawkeyes’ trip to the Kohl Center, however, knows this won’t be easy. The Badgers went into halftime down 11, looking like a physically outmatched team.
“In some ways the first 15 minutes reminded me a little bit of the Florida game that we had,” said sophomore forward Sam Dekker after the game. “We came out a little stagnant, didn’t know what looks to take and they really took us away from what we like to do offensively.”
In the second half, Wisconsin was able to inch back and cut the lead to two, at which point things got memorable. Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery went berserk over a foul call, drawing two technicals. From there, it was just another strong Badger showing.
However, the fact remains that the first half showed a real weakness for the Badgers, and this Iowa team remains one that looks like it was designed to beat UW.
“They’re long and bouncy,” head coach Bo Ryan said. “They’ve got a lot of guys that fit into that category.
And they are aggressive to the glass. They’re very deep.”
Iowa will likely field a starting lineup that is taller at every position than Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes also have 11 different players averaging more than 10 minutes per game played. By contrast, the Badgers have seven.
In its losses, and quite a few of its wins, Wisconsin struggled with rebounding and scoring in the paint. This will likely not change, given the Hawkeyes rank third nationally in rebounds per game and ninth in points per game.
This abundance of points comes from a lot of sources. Eight different Iowa players average between five and 10 points per game.
Both teams had almost a week off to prepare for this game. While the Badgers’ time off was scheduled, a minor collapse in Indiana’s Assembly Hall caused the Iowa-Indiana game scheduled Tuesday to be postponed. This could present a problem for UW, considering the Hawkeyes like to play as fast anyone in the country, and they’ll be getting extra rest.
All this amounts to a tall order for the Badgers, especially considering they will be the road team this time around.
“I don’t see our guys going on the road and not feeling that they can get it done,” Ryan said.
“So it’s a state of mind. It’s how you prepare. And if you believe, then you have a chance.”
