The #12 Ohio State Buckeyes (18-3, 7-3)
vs.
The Wisconsin Badgers (17-7, 7-4)
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Wednesday, February 15 - 8:00 p.m.
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WISCONSIN - Official Site of Wisconsin Athletics - Gentlemen, turn your tables. A lot has changed in the four weeks since the Badgers fell at the Schott. They walked in a top 15 team, sporting just two tough road losses to ranked opponents in their first sixteen games. They walked out beaten men, and went home to face the lowly Bison of North Dakota State and lick their wounds. The Bison won. In a game that shocked the conference, Bo Ryan's boys threw up one of the most dreadful shooting displays anyone had seen in quite a while. The final number was 16 for 72. 22.2%. Wisconsin's top two offensive threats, Tucker and Taylor, combined for 30 points...connecting on eight of forty-two shot attempts. They went on to drop three of their next four, as they free-fell down through the polls into the realms of the unranked. They've had a bit of a resurgence of late, taking down Indiana and Penn State in their last two, but with a road record of just 2-5 and three road games left on the schedule (including trips to Michigan State and Iowa), the Badgers are being forced to ice skate uphill. It doesn't help, of course, that the team they're welcoming into the Kohl Center tomorrow night happens to be one of the hottest in the country. Ohio State - as I'm sure everyone here is aware - is second in the nation in three point shooting percentage, and tops in the conference in scoring average. Senior guard Je'Kel Foster is now fourth in the NCAA from long range, and Jamar Butler, the most recent Big Ten Player of the Week, is nine of his last eleven. Bad news for Wisconsin, for whom Wednesday's game has become an absolute must-win. The Kohl is no joke--it's widely regarded as one of the tougher road trips around...right up there with The Palestra and Michigan's Crisler Arena. *cough* In any event, here once again are the Badgers:vs.
The Wisconsin Badgers (17-7, 7-4)
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Wednesday, February 15 - 8:00 p.m.
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<p><img align=left src="http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/gallery/files/3/WISC_tucker.jpg" border="1" Hspace="10" Vspace="0">Then: Junior forward Alando Tucker is one of the top offensive threats in the league. What he is: 6'4", 215 pounds, very athletic (38" vert), a volume shooter (nearly 16 FGA per game), a solid rebounder (5.4 rpg). What he is not: A pure shooter (.278 from 3), capable at the line (a horrific .472 on 123 attempts). Tucker's the prototypical scoring wing--something like Ron Lewis, just with more muscles, more minutes and half the free throw percentage. Anyway, after Killingworth (who was 55% on the season at the time) went 7 for 9 from the line against us, I don't take much for granted. Tucker will be the primary concern, but he's not Wiscy's only weapon.
Since 1/18: Giving Tucker the benefit of the doubt and pretending the ND State game didn't actually occur, he has actually played very well since we last saw him, posting 19.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game over his last six while shooting .512 from the field. He remains a threat to drive, score and draw fouls, and he played us very well the last time (21 points, 9 rebounds). He does have a tendency to miss the bucket at times (seven games this year shooting under .400), but when he's on, he's on.
<p><img align=left src="http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/gallery/files/3/WISC_taylor.jpg" border="1" Hspace="10" Vspace="0">Then: You may remember Kammron from such films as Dogma and CB4, but when he's not making millions laugh as an award-winning actor-comedian, he's suiting up at guard for the Badgers. As a sophomore last year, he started 12 games, and has really stepped up in his junior campaign. The 6'2", 175 pounder is quick off the dribble, a very solid shooter both from long range and from the line, and is the closest thing to a point guard in the starting lineup. He does have a tendency to turn the ball over, but he was hilarious in I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka - that's got to count for something.
Since 1/18: Giving Taylor the same leeway, and turning a blind eye to his 6 for 24 performance against NDSU, he's since been shooting .413. That might be acceptable, except that he's averaging over twelve shots per game during that stretch. Oddly, his three point percentage has been higher (a very respectable .463), but we all know that perimeter defense is not an issue for us. As the de facto point guard on this team, Taylor's assist numbers are quite low (lowest of any team leader in the conference), and his assist-to-turnover ratio is abhorrent, but nobody ever called him a true college point. Anyway, Taylor and Tucker will both have monster games from time to time--goes without saying. The key is to prevent them from each having one on the same night.
Then: #32, sophomore forward-center Brian Butch (6-11, 240) is an interesting player. He's big, yes, but he's not a traditional center. He leads the team in rebounds, yes, but he's not a traditional center. A former McDonald's All-American, Butch has added thirty pounds since high school, but has retained his range and versatility. My understanding is that he'll be checked by the newly-dubbed 'Mr. Big Shot', Matt Sylvester. Won't be easy. Rounding out the starting five are #5, junior forward-center Jason Chappell (6-10, 240) and #4, senior forward Ray Nixon (6-8, 215). First off the bench will be point guard Michael Flowers and frosh forward Marcus Landry. Yeah, thanks - they're okay.
Since 1/18: Butch is coming off a career game against the under-sized Nittany Lions, in which he scored 23 points on 11-15 shooting and pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds. In Game 1, the big fellah only logged 19 minutes, after tweaking his ankle in the first half. If he's 100%, considering how we've handled (or rather, not handled) guys like Sims and Augustine these past couple games, he could make some more noise this time around. Chappell and Nixon continue to play their respective roles, though the former did have a notable game against Penn State as well, having flirted with a triple double at six points, nine rebounds and seven assists. The man not mentioned (the one who led the last game with 13 boards) is #45, freshman guard-foward Joe Krabbenhoft (6-7, 217). He hasn't posted double digit rebounds since, but has played meaningful minutes--I'm sure we'll hear his name again tomorrow night. Marcus Landry and sophomore center Greg Stiemsma, to my knowledge, remain ineligible/unavailable.
Then: Yes, they're tough. No, they're not unbeatable. Frankly, I really don't think they're as good as Michigan State, despite their recent victory over Izzo et al. A win, and we're back near the top of the heap. A loss, and...screw that. You can't win by worrying about losing. Go Bucks. #*@% 'em up.
Yeah, they're still tough. Don't let the recent slide fool you. Their two big guns can still fire and Bo Ryan's still a hell of a coach. It's true they've struggled mightily on the road this year, and the loss to NDSU did, does and will continue to look bad on their schedule. Nevertheless, they have home victories against Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana to their credit, and the maxim still applies: There are no nights off in the Big Ten. With just six games remaining in the regular season and the national spotlight finally starting to creep onto Columbus, another win against a top 25 RPI team will help just as much as a loss would hurt. I have to believe that, given our performance of late, the Badgers will be hounding Kel and JBut all night, trying to deny them open looks. It will be up to TDials, Syl, Sully and the rest of the team to take advantage of every opportunity they get. Of course, if we shoot 45% or better from behind the arc for the fourth straight game, it'll be a quiet night in Madison either way.
Projected starters:
Ohio State
F - Matt Sylvester
F - J.J. Sullinger
C - Terence Dials
G - Je'Kel Foster
G - Jamar Butler
Wisconsin
F - Brian Butch
F - Ray Nixon
C - Jason Chappell
G - Alando Tucker
G - Kammron Taylor
My prediction: OSU 78 - WISC 71
Up next, Northwestern...
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