Battle of Big Ten unbeaten

As the last of the unbeaten teams in the college basketball world fell this past weekend, there now remain only two teams with flawless conference records in the Big Ten, arguably the toughest conference in the NCAA.

They will face off today at Assembly Hall, but only one out of Indiana and Wisconsin will come away with sole possession of the conference lead.

The Hoosiers enter Tuesday’s matchup as the No. 2 team in the nation after rising three spots from last week’s poll. IU’s only blemish this season came during a neutral-site matchup with Butler exactly one month ago as the Bulldogs prevailed in overtime, 88-86.

Wisconsin comes in unranked after starting the season No. 23 in the preseason AP Poll. However, some could argue that with losses by Michigan and Minnesota, along with IU’s rough second half against the Golden Gophers, the Badgers may be the hottest team in the Big Ten.

The Badgers, the team with the least recent loss in the conference, last lost Dec. 8, 2012, to now-No. 25 Marquette. Since then, Wisconsin won each of their last three non-conference games by double digits before wins against Penn State, Nebraska and a blowout win against then-No. 12 Illinois.

Senior guard Jordan Hulls said he thinks Wisconsin has hit its stride, and grabbing a win against the Badgers, even at home, will be a tough task.

“I think they’re playing really well as a team,” Hulls said. “We know what they’re capable of on both ends of the floor, running their stuff and doing what they want and playing at their own pace.

“That’s something obviously we don’t want them to do, but they’re a great team, and we’ll manage it.”

Not only has Wisconsin won six straight games this season, but they have IU’s number in head-to-head games the teams have played, whether at neutral sites, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., or at home in Bloomington.

The Hoosiers are winless against Wisconsin in 10-straight games, dating back to 2007, but Hulls said he and his teammates don’t take into account how IU teams of the past have struggled against the Badgers.

“It’s a new year, so that’s just the way we’re attacking it,” Hulls said. “We don’t like to lose, obviously, but it’s a new year, and we’re just going to stay focused on that.”

Breaking that streak would give the Hoosiers at least a game up on all their conference opponents, including Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State, all teams the Hoosiers still have two games against to finish out the regular season.

Associate Head Coach Tim Buckley said his players have to keep their minds focused on beating Wisconsin, not on rankings, conference standings or past losses.

“If you don’t come to play every night, irregardless of who the other team is, you can get beat in the Big Ten. It’s that kind of league,” Buckley said. “It’s still early in the conference season. You don’t want to get too high after a win. You don’t want to get too low after a loss, because you don’t want one loss to turn into two, so you’ve got to make sure you maintain that focus and stay in the moment.”