A little over a month ago, then-No. 3 Wisconsin suffered its first loss of the season at Indiana. Tomorrow, the Badgers (9-5 Big Ten, 22-5 overall) will look to avenge their loss and earn their sixth straight conference win.
In their last meeting, Hoosiers’ sophomore guard Yogi Ferrell was a nightmare for the UW defense, scoring 25 points.
Wisconsin redshirt junior guard Josh Gasser will most likely have the task of guarding Ferrell. Gasser, who has proven his toughness on defensive all year, held Michigan State guard Gary Harris to just six points just two weeks ago.
“Josh just likes playing. He just likes competing. He likes banging. He likes banging into people, making contact,” said head coach Bo Ryan. “And not all basketball players enjoy contact. Josh enjoys it.”
Aside from Ferrell, the Badgers will have to deal with Indiana freshman forward Noah Vonleh, who is a projected first-round draft pick. Vonleh averages 11.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Offensively, UW will look to find junior forward Frank Kaminsky, whose play elevated the Badgers in recent games, scoring a combined 46 points in his past two outings.
“[Kaminsky] has gained some confidence on his ability to finish around the basket,” said Ryan. “Frank Kaminsky is maturing on and off the court, and it shows in the way he’s playing.”
Before this season Wisconsin beat Indiana 12 straight times.
Since beating the Badgers in January, the Hoosiers are only 3-6 in conference play. They have only one conference road win this season, coming against last place Penn State back in early January.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, is quite possibly the hottest team in the conference. Three of its past four wins have been against the top three teams in the conference, Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa.
