The Minnesota/Wisconsin rivalry continues this evening at Williams Arena when the 19th ranked Badgers tip off with the Gophers. GI gets you ready for the contest now. The Storyline The Big Ten Basketball standings have Purdue, Michigan, and Michigan State on top at 9-2 with Wisconsin a game behind at 8-3, Maryland 1.5 behind at 8-4, and then Minnesota in sixth place at 6-5 in league play. The Badgers have won five games in a row including wins over Michigan, Maryland, and at Nebraska. On January 3rd of this year the Gophers took out Wisconsin 59-52 in Madison. Gopher fans rejoiced as the maroon and gold had not only finally won a football game in Madison but they broke a long Madison losing streak in basketball as well. The Gophers had a 29-14 lead at halftime in Madison and were led by the 21 points of Amir Coffey. The Badgers were led by the 17 points and 8 boards from Ethan Happ. The fans will pack Williams Arena to cheer on their Gophers and jeer the Badgers. Bo Ryan of course isn’t around to scream at but Brad Davison and Nathan Reuvers have taken his place as the booing objects (Davison is from Maple Grove, Minnesota while Reuvers is from Lakeville, Minnesota). Gopher fans haven’t had a chance to scream at Davison or Reuvers as of yet because there was no Wisconsin/Minnesota game in Williams Arena last year. Well, you can expect Minnesota fans to unleash two years of screams. Davison has become one of the most jeered players in America because of his physical play (and some flops here and there) and now the Twin Cities get their chance to disapprove. Then there is Reuvers whose recruitment commitment article from two years ago was written with a high school buddy. The article was more about slamming Minnesota than it was about celebrating a decision to play in Madison. You can see that here (https://www.twincities.com/2016/05/18/lakeville-north-nathan-reuvers-wisconsin-badgers-over-umn-gophers/). As if the Minnesota/Wisconsin rivalry needed more fuel, the Minnesota kids playing in Madison will make it even more fun tomorrow. And keep in mind Wisconsin has won six of their last seven Big Ten road games. The Numbers In Madison, the Badgers only scored 14 points in 20 minutes against the Gophers. Wisconsin shots 6 of 26 from the floor and 2 of 14 from the arc in that timeframe. However, in the second half Happ (scored 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting) and Reuvers (12 points and five boards) were able to score on the Gopher frontcourt. The problem was Ethan Happ made only 1 of 7 foul shots and the team made just 7 of 17 allowing the Gophers to “Hack-A-Happ” down the stretch. While the Badger bigs were scoring inside the Gopher size struggled. The four Minnesota bigs combined to shoot 5 of 15 from the floor and scored just 11 points between the four of them (Jordan Murphy, Daniel Oturu, Matz Stockman, and Eric Curry). That said, the Gophers dominated the glass 37-25. Coffey led the team scoring 21 while Dupree McBrayer produced 14 points and Brock Stull hit two threes of the bench. Wisconsin is 7th in the nation and number one in the Big Ten in three point shooting. The Badgers have shot 40.3 percent from the arc this season led by sophomores D'Mitrik Trice (45.2 percent), Brad Davison (44.3 percent) and Reuvers (40 percent). Over the last 12 games, Davison is averaging 14.2 points per game and shooting 29 of 53 (54.7 percent) from the arc. Ethan Happ is averaging 18.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, Happ is the nation's only player averaging at least 15.0 points, 10.0 boards, and 5.0 assists per game. Gopher senior guard Dupree McBrayer hasn't hit double figures since the Rutgers game when he had 15 points. In the six straight games where Dupree has been in single digit scoring numbers he's made just 12 of 41 shot attempts including 4 of 19 shots at the arc. The Match-Ups Speaking of McBrayer, obviously he’s struggled to finish shot attempts but his ball handling, defense, and decision making have been very important to the Gopher basketball team. Last game he defended a struggling Brad Davison (shooting wise) but Davison comes into this game as one of the hottest shooters in America. Davison is playing in his first game at Williams Arena where his family at one point had season tickets (Davison for the most part wasn’t recruited by the Gophers). Motivation for both Davison and for McBrayer will be high (it was high last game as you will recall the Davison technical as well as the slap across Dupree’s face that led to blood, Kalscheur later elbowed Davison in the mouth). Amir Coffey’s assignment in game one was Kahlil Iverson which makes sense as Iverson is the biggest of the three Wisconsin backcourt players and the best rebounder in that group. Amir had trouble keeping Iverson off the offensive glass but Iverson simply had trouble stopping Coffey in every way. Amir first hurt the Badgers with his passing and then once the floor opened he attacked the rim with no mercy. That leaves Gabe Kalscheur on D’Mitrik Trice putting the Gophers most consistent defender on Wisconsin’s top backcourt weapon. Up front Minnesota had a big edge rebounding wise. Jordan Murphy, Eric Curry, and Daniel Oturu are far superior rebounders to what is playing up front with Ethan Happ. In Wisconsin’s favor is that they are much bigger up front with Happ and Reuvers. When Greg Gard made adjustments in the first game, his bigs were (both 6-foot-10) able to score over the shorter Minnesota frontline throughout half two. Reuvers has four inches on Murphy and he used that to point produce while the only Gopher in recent memory that was able to give Happ issues was Bakary Konate. “BK” used positioning and the right size to make Happ go over him which was a struggle. The only Gopher with BK’s size is Matz Stockman. The bench.<doc-sep>On Wednesday night inside Williams Arena in Minneapolis, the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers look to avenge their earlier home loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers when the two programs face off in another conference battle. Wisconsin (16-6, 8-3 Big Ten) rides a five-game winning streak into the midweek contest after a solid home win against now-No. 24 Maryland last Friday night. Since its win over UW on Jan. 3 at the Kohl Center, Minnesota (16-6, 6-5) has gone 4-4. After a loss to Purdue, Richard Pitino’s squad hopes to sweep the season series against the Badgers. Be sure to read the articles below and listen to our latest podcast episode with the Wisconsin State Journal’s Jim Polzin. Then head over to the comments section below, follow along and give us your thoughts on the game!<doc-sep>Badgers vs. Golden Gophers Prediction The 19th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are small road favorites tonight at the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Can Minnesota protect its home court and send Wisconsin to a loss? Game Snapshot 829 Wisconsin Badgers at 830 Minnesota Golden Gophers Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Williams Arena at 9PM ET TV: BTN Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our College Basketball Odds & Betting Page. Public Betting Information According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Badgers are a 2-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 133 points. As of Wednesday afternoon, 56 percent of public bets are siding with visiting Wisconsin. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date info. Badgers earn fifth straight win Wisconsin improved to 16-6 overall and 8-3 in Big Ten play Friday night with a 69-61 home win over Maryland. The Badgers outscored the Terrapins 38-25 in the second half after a rough first half. Wisconsin shot 23-of-49 from the floor, 9-of-18 from 3-point range and 14-of-23 at the free throw line. Brad Davison paced the Badgers with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting including 4-of-6 from 3-point range plus 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also had four rebounds and two steals. Ethan Happ filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, 11 boards, six dimes, two steals and two blocked shots. Aleem Ford added 10 points and three rebounds off the bench. Golden Gophers fall at Boilermakers Minnesota had its modest two-game winning streak snapped Sunday with a 73-63 defeat at Purdue to drop to 16-6 overall and 6-5 in conference play. The Golden Gophers were outscored 46-35 in the second half after leading by a point at halftime. Minnesota shot 24-of-57 from the field, 2-of-16 from 3-point distance and 13-of-15 at the free throw line. Amir Coffey paced the Golden Gophers with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting including 1-of-3 from 3-point range plus 5-of-6 at the free throw line. He also pulled down three rebounds. Daniel Oturu accounted for 19 points and nine boards off the bench. Jordan Murphy added 10 points, 10 assists and two steals. College Basketball Betting Trends Wisconsin The Badgers are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 road games. Wisconsin is 5-0 ATS in its last five games overall. Minnesota The Golden Gophers are 4-0 ATS in their last four Big Ten games. Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last five games following a straight up loss. Prediction: Wisconsin has won all five of its games on this winning streak by at least eight points and will face a Minnesota squad tonight that is weaker than its last couple opponents. The Badgers have an elite defense and a slow-paced offenses that gets the job done most nights. While this game will probably remain close throughout, the best parts of Wisconsin's game plan are likely to shine in crunch time to cover this spread. NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: WISCONSIN BADGERS -2<doc-sep>Before a huge match-up in Ann Arbor this weekend, the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers hope to make it six in a row in the win column against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in “The Barn” on Wednesday night. Wisconsin (16-6, 8-3 Big Ten) comes off a win over now-No. 24 Maryland at the Kohl Center on Friday night and looks to atone for a home loss against the Gophers on Jan. 3 when Greg Gard’s squad scored just 14 points in the first half. Minnesota (16-6, 6-5) suffered a 10-point loss at Purdue on Sunday and now regroups in working to attempt to sweep the season series from its rival. When and where is the game? Wisconsin and Minnesota will tip off at 8 p.m. CT at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. How can I watch? The game will be broadcast on BTN with Cory Provus and Jon Crispin on the call. How can I stream the game online? Via BTN2Go.com and the FOX Sports mobile app (iOS/Android). How can I listen to it on the radio? On the Badger Sports Network, where you’ll find the team of Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas. Head to BadgerSportsNetwork.com to find it. You can also listen on iHeartRadio (iOS/Android/desktop) by searching “WIBA.”<doc-sep>
After a missed opportunity on the road in West Lafayette, where Minnesota built an astounding 13-point lead on the Boilermakers only to give it away down the stretch, the Gophers return home in the back half of the border battle with Wisconsin. Anybody remember the Gophers held the Badgers to 14 points in the first half in Madison? I certainly do and I’m willing to bet that the Badgers do as well. Essentials: Who are the Gophers playing? Wisconsin Badgers (8-4, 16-6) What time are they playing? Wednesday, Feb. 6 @ 8 p.m. CT Where are they playing? Williams Arena (Minneapolis, MN) Can I watch the game on TV? Yes, BTN Can I listen to the game on the radio? Yes, KFAN 100.3-FM. Tell me more about the opponent. The Badgers have gone on a 5-game win streak that includes wins over Michigan and Maryland, both at home. As always, a highly efficient team on offense with a very good defense. The team really centers around Ethan Happ on the inside with a number of dangerous shooters around him. That, in a nutshell, is how Wisconsin’s offense operates. Happ is an All-American candidate who scores with a bunch of subtle post moves and gets himself into great position to score before he ever has the ball. He leads the team in scoring and rebounding, he ranks 5th and 2nd in the Big Ten in those respective categories. The Badger offense runs through him. Then comes the shooters. D’Mitrik Trice is at point and shoots 45% from three then Brad Davison at shooting guard is only shooting 44% from behind the arc. Both are top five in the Big Ten and as a team the Badgers are top 10 in the country. Then you have to still worry about Nate Reuvers and Brad Pritzl who shoot 3s at 40% and 39%. This team can shoot. Their 22.7% from three in their Gopher loss was their worst shooting night from three in the Big Ten this year. It certainly helped aid a Gopher win. Predictions No way I’m picking the Gophers to win. Sweeping Wisconsin is no easy task, but there are two things I like here for the Gophers. First of all, I think this team has been playing very well since the Illinois debacle. 3-2 since that ugly game and the two losses were a buzzer-beater at Michigan and then a loss at Purdue when they played great about 75% of that game. Secondly, this game is at home. This is not insignificant. But this will come down to making sure Happ has an average game and the Gophers defend shooters, with an emphasis on the latter. I’ll gladly take a game where Happ has 25 points but the Badgers as a team shoot under 30% from three. The smart money is on a Badger win, but I’m feeling pretty good about our chances to get another resume-boosting win.