Coming off its first conferene loss last Saturday, Wisconsin must prepare for an important game as the Badgers welcome Indiana to the Kohl Center Thursday.
Wisconsin’s loss to Purdue over the weekend put the Badgers’ Big Ten record at 6-1, which puts them in a three-way tie for second place in the conference with Purdue and Michigan State. All three teams are a half game behind Indiana (6-0), who is now the only undefeated team in the conference. Not far behind the cluster is Ohio State, with a 5-2 record.
Thursday’s game is important because of Wisconsin and Indiana’s current position in the conference. A win for the Badgers means Wisconsin will leapfrog Indiana into first place. A loss would increase Wisconsin’s deficit behind Indiana and make winning the conference that much more difficult.
Indiana, ranked No. 11 in the nation, is also coming off a loss over the weekend against an unranked opponent. Indiana fell to Connecticut at home, and the result was only the second loss of the season for the Hoosiers.
The two schools met once last season at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers upset the then No. 2 ranked Badgers, dealing Wisconsin its first conference loss of the season. And Indiana’s victory snapped Wisconsin’s 17-game win streak.
Even though Indiana knocked off the Badgers last year, the Hoosiers are an improved team this season. “They’ve added the right pieces and everything has fit in really well,” assistant coach Howard Moore said.
One of those pieces is freshman guard Eric Gordon, a great scoring threat for the Hoosiers. As a freshman, Gordon is averaging 21.7 points per game, which is first in the Big Ten. Gordon is also shooting 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.
“He’s a great shooter,” Moore said. “And [more] importantly, he’s unselfish.”
Another player to keep an eye on for Indiana is fifth year senior, D.J. White. White, a 6’9”, 250-pound forward, could give Wisconsin trouble in the paint. Last year White was instrumental in the Hoosiers’ victory over Wisconsin, scoring 16 points. This season White is leading the Big Ten in both rebounds and field goal percentage, averaging 10.2 rebounds per game and shooting 61.5 percent from the floor. White is also scoring 16.8 points per game, which is third in the conference.
The Badgers will have their hands full trying to contain the two Indiana standouts. “We have a defense based on help, so obviously we won’t let it rest on the shoulders of one guy [to stop them],” Moore said.
The Hoosiers’ explosive offense ranks first in points scored per game, three point percentage and free throw percentage, and second in field goal percentage. Moore listed a number of players besides Gordon and White that have contributed to Indiana’s success this season, including sophomore guard Armon Bassett and freshman guard Jordan Crawford. Bassett is Indiana’s leading three point shooter, shooting 52.2 percent from outside the perimeter, and Crawford is averaging 11.5 points per game.
Defeating Indiana will be difficult considering the Hoosiers can put up points from all areas of the floor. Eric Gordon has shown an outstanding ability to create a shot for himself, but the freshman has more turnovers than assists this season, meaning he still has work to do in terms of distributing the ball and creating opportunities for his teammates.
Wisconsin may decide to pressure Gordon into situations where he must find an open teammate for Indiana to score. However, the Badgers cannot count on shutting down Gordon and the Hoosiers and will have to shoot the ball well to keep up offensively and remain competitive in the game.
