The Michigan Wolverines come in to the Kohl Center as one of the best teams in the country and the Badgers are looking to right the ship.
It’s hard not to think back to 2013 and the iconic “let’s play 5 more minutes in Madison” call from legendary radio voice Matt Lepay.
Wisconsin proceeded to knock off the No. 3 team in the country in overtime.
Fast forward six seasons and the Badgers face off with the No. 2 team in the country and an undefeated Wolverines squad at that. The task in front of a reeling Badgers team, who have lost four of the last five contests, seems daunting.
So, let’s look in to some numbers and things you should know ahead of this matchup at 11am CT on ESPN.
5: Wisconsin has lost to Michigan just six times since 2005
Yes, the Wolverines appear to be the big, bad team in college basketball in 2018-19. But, few teams in the country have had a better run against them than the Badgers have had historically.
Put aside that 2013 upset, UW owns a 19-6 record against the Wolverines since 2005 and that’s regardless of where the game has been played. Additionally, the Badgers are 8-5 in home games against top 10 ranked opponents over the last 10 seasons.
Clearly the Kohl Center is a magically place.
4: Nate Reuvers ranks 4th in the Big Ten in blocks per game
Wisconsin’s rising sophomore big man has become a huge help on both ends of the court as of late. His 1.7 blocks per game rank him 4th in the conference.
He’s also a dangerous offensive weapon as of late. Reuvers 18 points against Maryland was a career high and he’s scored in double figures in 6 of the last 9 games.
Interestingly enough, one of the three players ahead of Reuvers is Michigan’s Jon Teske, who averages 2.2 blocks per game.
With Reuvers also becoming a threat from anywhere on the floor, can UW do enough to neutralize Teske’s presence on the inside when the Badgers have the ball?
3: Wisconsin is looking to become just 3rd team to even come within 10 points all season against Michigan
You know you’re a dominant team when getting within single digits by the end of the contest is an accomplishment. But, such has been the case for only two of the 17 opponents Michigan has faced so far this season.
Only Western Michigan and Northwestern have kept their games inside 10 points so far this year.
Yes, a win is always the goal, but it seems like the key has to be keeping within striking distance for most of the game and that’s something most teams clearly aren’t capable of.
Michigan’s average scoring margin of +17.0 is second in the conference to MSU’s +18.0 on the year. The Wolverines also have a +12.5 scoring margin in Big Ten games alone.
It’ll be a tall task for the Badgers on Saturday.
2: Wisconsin is 2nd in the Big Ten in three-point shooting as a team
How do you combat a team like Michigan? Well, being able to shoot from the perimeter is a great place to start. The good news is that Wisconsin has been largely capable of doing that, to the tune of 39.1 percent from beyond the arc as a team. That ranks 2nd in the conference this season.
Only Michigan State’s 39.3 percent as a team is better in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin has gotten key contributions from beyond the arc lately from sophomore guard Brad Davison. Over the last 7 games, Davison is shooting a crazy 62.1 percent from three-point range (18 of 29). He is a great 43.8 precent from beyond the arc on the season.
Paring him with D’Mitrik Trice, who has cooled off a bit as of late, is a dangerous combination for teams to have to guard on the perimeter. But, Michigan is allowing opponents to only shoot at a 30.5 percent clip from deep.
Something is going to have to give there, and let’s also remember Michigan can be deadly from the perimeter too. They’re shooting a respectable 36.7 precent from beyond the arc to rank fifth in the B1G.
Both teams are going to have to defend against the perimeter well in order to win this game.
1: Michigan leads the conference in defensive rebounding percentage
If there is one glaring stat that should scare Badgers fans, it is this one — 76.9 — as in Michigan have a 76.9 defensive rebounding percentage.
Normally that’s not a big thing, because it just indicates how much a team relies on defensive rebounding versus offensive. But, when you pair that with the fact that the Badgers rank dead last in offensive rebounding, you see the potential for trouble.
Wisconsin has to be efficient on the offensive end and they can’t go in to prolonged scoring droughts, because Michigan will be able to take advantage of misses thanks to that glaring discrepancy on the glass.
In fact, UW’s ability to neutralize Michigan’s obvious advantage on the glass overall is going to be crucial to success on the day as a whole.