The Badgers try to avoid a three game losing streak when they head into Minneapolis this evening. Following a 16-0 start to their year, they dropped a midweek road tilt in Bloomington and followed it up with a home loss Saturday night at the hands of Michigan thanks to some late game Nik Stauskas heroics.
For me, this game could largely be decided by pace. Young Richard Pitino seems intent on building this Gopher group into a full press squad, but they have struggled in year one of that transition.
Wisconsin rarely turns it over and currently possesses some of the best offensive efficiency marks in America. Traevon Jackson has been a godsend at the point guard spot. He, along with the other guards this Badger team has, are more than capable of breaking pressure and creating easy scoring opportunities against this defense.
The other beneficial aspect of this game for Wisconsin is what they bring at the power forward spot. Sophomore Sam Dekker and freshman Nigel Hayes are both outstanding young players who can score in a variety of ways. They have both mid-range ability and post games that create headaches for defenders.
Gopher forwards Joey King and Oto Osenieks should be able to match up with them to some extent, but press situations in which double teams are applied could leave odd man breaks available for this Wisconsin team.
I had the Badgers as two point road favorites here. The line opened at 1.5 and has since moved to 2.5. Minnesota is good enough offensively to keep this game reasonable close. Had you been able to grab the Badgers at a pick’em, there would be value there.
This will be an interesting road test to see how Wisconsin responds in the wake of some recent struggles. Minnesota is a top 30-35 team and they won’t be an easy out. Their lackluster performance on Sunday against Iowa was more so about the absurd depth Iowa has in comparison to Pitino’s club, and Wisconsin doesn’t have that same rotation balance.
