With home losses to Western Illinois, Milwaukee and Green Bay it became almost inconceivable to think that Wisconsin had much of a chance to defeat potential Final contender Michigan State last Sunday. The Badgers proved critics wrong, however, with a 77-76 triumph at the Kohl Center behind smart and explosive offensive play.
Now with a quality win underneath its belt, UW (2-4 Big Ten, 10-9 overall) will look to build off it with a trip to the Bryce Jordan Center, where the Badgers will face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions (2-4, 11-8).
In its last 11 trips to State College, Wisconsin has emerged victorious 10 times, including four straight wins, and it’ll look to make it five in a row coming off its big win over the Spartans.
Combining for 52 points and six 3-pointers against Michigan State, juniors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes led UW to its marquee win and helped propel the offense to new heights against a tough Spartan team. With their offense firing on all cylinders last game, the Badgers will have an opportunity to exploit a permeable Penn State defense Thursday.
Penn State comes into the matchup ranking 11th in the Big Ten in both scoring defense and 3-point defense. The Nittany Lions have also spiraled downward as of late, losing four out of their last six games and ranking dead last in the conference in scoring offense over that span.
Though the matchup looks favorable at first glance, Penn State recently defeated a surging Northwestern squad and has three starters averaging at least double-figures per game. However, UW head coach Greg Gard is confident in the leadership of veterans like Hayes and Koenig to help avoid a letdown loss coming off the Badgers’ upset of Michigan State.
“I’m happy how they handle the locker room and how they are continuing to be messengers of the coaching staff,” Gard said of Hayes and Koenig.
Certainly the juniors have made Wisconsin as competitive as it can be despite all the turmoil and turnover this season. Despite the Badgers also losing four of their last six games, their average loss in that span only amounts to a mere 3.75 points and if they continue to improve and start converting more of their close games into wins, the Badgers could be a fringe bubble NCAA tournament team by the end of the season.
“We got young guys learning on the fly. I never viewed this as adversity [regarding their season thus far],” Gard said. “I knew we were going the right direction. I knew and trust the plan we have in place.”
