Wisconsin basketball is struggling in the early portions of this season. Can they start their Big Ten schedule with a win or will Ohio State stop them?
Matchup: Ohio State Buckeyes (5-3) at Wisconsin Badgers (3-4)
Tip Time: 5:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 2
TV schedule: FOX
Location: Kohl Center in Madison, WI.
Wisconsin Badgers Basketball
Wisconsin basketball is off to a rough start. Despite having National Player of the Year contender Ethan Happ on the roster, head coach Greg Gard is working with a young team that is playing a rigorous schedule. Already in their first seven games, the Badgers have faced off against Xavier, Baylor, UCLA, and Virginia. Sadly, the team has lost all four of those contests.
The team is 3-4 entering this game and they are in need of getting on track with a solid win over Ohio State in this one. The Buckeyes might not be the best team in the Big Ten but they would be the best win on Wisconsin’s resume in the early going of this season. The Badgers are currently relying on their star big man Happ as well as a steady dose of freshmen in the early part of this season.
Happ is leading the team (of players who have played more than five minutes per game) in points (17.6), rebounds (9.1), assists (3.1), blocks (0.9), and field goal percentage (58.0%). He has been dominant in just about every facet of the game, but there is not much help around him. Sophomore D’Mitrik Trice has been decent, but his inconsistent play has left much on the table.
The Badgers are receiving a fair amount of help from their freshmen, though. Most notably, Brad Davison is second on the team in points (10.9 per game) and leads the squad in steals (2.3 per contest). In addition, freshmen Aleem Ford and Kobe King are each playing more than 15 minutes per game for Coach Gard.
The biggest question facing Wisconsin entering this game is the health of the previously mentioned Davison. In the Badgers’ loss to Virginia earlier in the week, Davison injured his left shoulder and has been held out of practice. Over the week, he has only participated in shooting drills with a brace on his shoulder. Davison not only scores the basketball for the Badgers, but he is an all-around menace who plays excellent defense, makes hustle plays, and epitomizes what Wisconsin basketball is all about.
Ohio State Buckeyes Basketball
On the other side, the Ohio State Buckeyes are also rather inexperienced. New head coach Chris Holtmann made the Sweet 16 last season with the Butler Bulldogs and is hoping to replicate that success in Columbus. To this point in the season, there have certainly been ups and downs for the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s record currently sits at 5-3 and they have lost each of their last two games and three out of the last four.
Keita Bates-Diop is leading the way for the team while averaging nearly a double-double of 17.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The 6’7″ forward is not only a threat to score inside the arc, but he has shown considerable range this season, knocking down 18 of his 43 3-point attempts (41.9%). After Bates-Diop, C.J. Jackson, Jae’Sean Tate, and freshman Kaleb Wesson are all averaging in double-figures.
Next: Big East power rankings (edition two)
This game will kick off the Big Ten schedule for both of these struggling teams. Wisconsin is 1-4 in their last five games while Ohio State is 1-3 in their last four. One of these teams is bound to come away with the victory and hopefully this game will get that team back on track. On paper, Wisconsin seems to have the upper hand, but that could be dependent on the health of their glue guy, Brad Davison.
With tip-time at 5:00 p.m. ET, this game will occur just three hours before the same two schools compete in the Big Ten Championship game in football in hopes of making the College Football Playoff. For more information on that game, visit Saturday Blitz. This basketball game will certainly be an excellent appetizer for football and a great start to the Big Ten schedule for both teams.
Final prediction: Wisconsin 74, Ohio State 67