Indiana Basketball vs Wisconsin: Know your opponent, preview, prediction

The Indiana basketball program is off for its first road game of the season, which happens to be the first Big Ten game for the Hoosiers as well.

Big Ten play is underway for the Indiana basketball program, a part of the schedule that the Hoosiers and Archie Miller are looking to get some revenge after last year’s disappointment.

After losing 12-of-13 games after the New Year last season, there has to be a lot of sour taste in the mouths of the Hoosiers, and their revenge tour starts on Saturday against Wisconsin, a team they happened to beat towards the end of the season last year.

The Badgers, however, are not like the Wisconsin teams of the past. Coming into this matchup with a 4-4 record, the Badgers are currently on an 0-3 skid, with two of the losses coming by double-digits.

Greg Gard lost the one of the best players in all of college basketball last season in Ethan Happ, and has yet to find a true replacement for him. Nate Reuvers has done his best at trying to fill that void early in the season, however. Averaging 14.9 points per game, he brings an entirely different skillset than that of Happ. Reuvers took four threes in Wisconsin’s season opener this year, whereas Happ attempted five all of last year combined. Being a three-point ‘threat’ is definitely an added dimension to the Badgers frontcourt, although Reuvers is only connecting on 27 percent.

Reuvers also brings a dominating rim presence to a team that has been lacking such over the past few seasons. Averaging 2.6 blocks per game, Reuvers had nine blocks in the second game of the season, falling one short of a triple-double on the game.

After Reuvers, it is the same backcourt that you have come accustomed to as of late. The love-hate relationship the entire Big Ten has with Brad Davison remains, as the junior looks to continue his hot play in the Kohl Center. Averaging 15.6 points per game at home, that number dropped to 3.3 points per game in his last three games, all losses, going a combined 3-of-20 from the field, including 2-of-14 from three.

D’Mitrik Trice remains the point guard for the Badgers, but has started a bit rocky. The junior guard is averaging just 8.4 points per game on 34 percent shooting, and has yet to score above 11 points in any game this season. What he is lacking in the scoring column, he is making up for with his ball handling. With a 2.64-to-1.0 assist to turnover ratio, Trice has games of seven, five, and four assists with just one turnover.

Kobe King and Aleem Ford are the two other Badgers that have stepped up this season. King is third on the team in points (10.4) and brings another physical body to the wing. Ford, who has taken a huge step up in production from a season ago, has stepped into the spot that was occupied by Khalil Iverson last season. At 6-foot-8, Ford brings added length and athleticism to the Wisconsin front court.

Key storylines

Indiana:

Can Indiana get its first win at Wisconsin since 1998? With no real depth in the front court, look for Trayce Jackson-Davis to have a field day. With a physical backcourt, how will the guards of IU handle a different type of defensive pressure than they saw against FSU? Will Rob Phinisee return to the lineup? The first true road game of the season will tell us a lot about how Indiana can keep up the momentum from Tuesday’s win.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is looking to end a three game skid and face one of the hottest teams in the country, can they keep the winning streak against IU alive? No more Ethan Happ, but Nate Reuvers is no slouch and is one of the better big men in the country. Wisconsin shoots  just 41.9 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from three, so look for Indiana to double Reuvers on every touch and force the Badgers to beat them by making shots. Though the Badgers shoot 77 percent from the free throw line, ranked 24th in NCAA, their attempts (137) rank 236th in the country. We’ll see if they can get some easy points to get in a rhythm offensively.

Key Players

Indiana:

Devonte Green (15.4 ppg, 51.9% 3pt), Trayce Jackson-Davis (15.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg), Justin Smith (14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Al Durham (12.6 ppg, 3.0 apg)

Wisconsin

Nate Reuvers (14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Brad Davison (11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Kobe King (10.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Aleem Ford (10.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Prediction: Indiana 75, Wisconsin 63