Wisconsin Basketball vs. Penn State: 2017-18 preview, TV, prediction
Wisconsin basketball is a tough position. It has been a long time since the Badgers were underdogs against Penn State but that is the case in this game.
Matchup: Wisconsin Badgers (3-5) at Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2)
Tip Time: 7:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 4
TV schedule: ESPN2
Location: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA.
Wisconsin Badgers Basketball
This has not been an easy start to the season for the Wisconsin Badgers. Despite Ethan Happ having an All-American caliber season, the team around him is floundering. The team came into this season with lowered expectations compared to normal due to the graduation of four starters, but even that lowered bar has not been reached to this point in the season.
After just eight games in the season, many Badger fans have started to panic. Their record currently sits at 3-5 and their best win has come against Yale, who is 5-5 and ranks 120th in KenPom. Of those five losses, four of them came against top-25 opponents (Xavier, Baylor, UCLA, and Virginia) and each of those games was close.
It is the fifth loss, though, that is the biggest cause for concern at this point. Even though the Badgers were playing in front of their home crowd at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin was utterly dismantled by Ohio State in their first Big Ten game of the season. From start to finish, the Badgers looked hopeless on the defensive end of the floor and their offense was unable to keep pace with the Buckeyes.
In the end, Ohio State defeated Wisconsin by the score of 83-58. This was, by all definitions of the word, an embarrassing loss for the Badgers. After just one day of rest, Wisconsin will be back on the court on Dec. 4 in hopes of getting back on track against Penn State. In recent years, this would be looked at as an easy win for the Badgers, but not this time.
Led by sophomores Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens, the Penn State Nittany Lions are 7-2 in the early going this season. Their two losses have come against solid teams in NC State and Texas A&M. Although there haven’t been any great wins by the Nittany Lions in non-conference play, they did open up their Big Ten season with an impressive road win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Penn State has not finished higher than 10th in the Big Ten since the 2010-11 season but that will hopefully change this season if all goes according to plan for the Nittany Lions. Wisconsin is definitely struggling right now and this is the perfect opportunity for Penn State to defend their home court and pick up their first win against the Badgers since 2011 (Wisconsin has won the last nine meetings).
At this point in the season, Penn State has been way more consistent than Wisconsin and they are getting excellent play not only from their stars but from the depth around them. Sophomore Tony Carr (20.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists) is the best player on the team but he has plenty of help around him. His partner-in-crime, sophomore Lamar Stevens (15.2 points, 6.7 rebounds), gets a lot of attention as the secondary scorer on this team but there are five total Nittany Lions (including Carr and Stephens) currently averaging in double-figures.
Nine players are playing substantial minutes (9.8+ per game) for head coach Patrick Chambers right now and this depth could go a long way as the Big Ten schedule continues on. Penn State looks to be “for real” so far this season and taking down a struggling Wisconsin team would be another step in the right direction.
Next: National Player of the Year rankings after week 3
Overall, Penn State should be able to come away with the victory in this game. Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ (16.2 points, 8.8 rebounds) is an All-American talent but it is very difficult for him to get things going when he is double or triple-teamed upon touching the ball. Somebody else will need to step up for Wisconsin is they want to come away with the bounce-back road win.
For now, though, the expectation is that Carr and the Nittany Lions will take care of business to put a smile on every face in Happy Valley.
Final prediction: Penn State 76, Wisconsin 71