Column: Battle for 1st place in the Big Ten

Head Coach

Bo Ryan is currently in his 12th season as the head coach of the Badgers and his 29th season total as a head coach. Ryan has led Wisconsin to four Sweet 16 appearances and one Elite Eight appearance during his tenure. The Badgers have never missed the NCAA Tournament under Ryan, either.

Including this season, his record at Wisconsin is 280-105 and his career record is 663-208, but Ryan is probably most famous for the slow, drag-it-out style that has made his teams successful during the years.
 
This season’s leading scorer

Entering 2012-13, one of the biggest questions facing the Badgers was who would pick up the scoring load after the graduation of one of the most dynamic scorers in program history, Jordan Taylor.

So far this season, the answer to that question has been senior Jared Berggren. Berggren is averaging 13.4 points per game in 16 games this season. Without Taylor in the mix, Berggren’s scoring ability has taken the next step, and the 6-foot-10-inch forward is averaging almost three points more per game than he did last season.
 
How has Berggren progressed?

This year, the Princeton, Minn., native can score a number of different ways, and his impact can be felt on both ends of the court. Down low, Berggren likes to use his 235-pound body to bang against defenders, which also allows him to average 6.4 rebounds per game.

Unlike some of the big men in the Big Ten, Berggren’s game isn’t limited to the post. When an opposing player falls asleep on the Badgers’ big man, Berggren has the ability to slip outside of the paint to knock down mid-range shots. This season Berggren is shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the three-point line.

On the defensive end, Berggren controls the paint for Wisconsin and is leading the Badgers in blocks, 33, while only collecting 16 personal fouls (one per game) during the season. His ability to defend without fouling is important to Wisconsin’s success against the Hoosiers, as IU leads the Big Ten in free throws made per game (20.8) and free throws attempted per game (28.2).
 
What they do well

Wisconsin is more careful with the ball than any other team in the Big Ten, while consistently forcing opponents into turnovers.

Through 16 games, Wisconsin boasts the best turnover margin (+4.25) in the Big Ten.
On offense, they turn the ball over 8.9 times per game, the lowest amount of turnovers per game in the Big Ten.

On defense, Wisconsin’s opponents are averaging 13.2 turnovers per game.

Guards Ben Brust and Traevon Jackson lead the team with 19 steals a piece, and as a team, the Badgers have forced 112 steals.
 
Matchup to watch

Ryan Evans: 6-foot-6-inches, 212 lbs

28.7 minutes per game, 11.4 points per game, 76-of-179 (42.5 percent) from the field, 7.8 rebounds per game, 16 blocks and 16 steals.

Christian Watford: 6-foot-9-inches, 232 lbs

25.9 minutes per game, 12.9 points per game, 59-of-139 (42.4 percent) from the field, 6.7 rebounds per game, 25-of-54 (46.3 percent) from three-point range and 1.3 blocks per game.
 
My take

Despite almost blowing a 23-point halftime lead, Saturday’s contest against then-No. 8 Minnesota illustrated IU’s ability to take its game to the next level against highly skilled opponents.

Minnesota is a good team, but for the first 20 minutes of Saturday’s game, the Hoosiers made the Golden Gophers look more like a high school team than a Big Ten contender.

Whenever you talk about great teams — no matter what sport — the ability to play up to the level of competition is always talked about, but what is sometimes overlooked are the times when a team plays down to the level of competition.

Tonight the Hoosiers have a chance to show that they are not a team that plays down to the level of their competition.

This year, the Badgers are not as strong as they have been in previous seasons, but they will enter Assembly Hall as hot as any team in the Big Ten.

During Wisconsin’s current six-game winning streak, the Badgers have made a living on the defensive end and have not allowed an opponent to score more than 54 points.

On the shoulders of their twin towers, Berggren and Evans, the Badgers play stingy defense and clean the glass without making turnovers. Through 16 games, the Badgers are forcing opponents into 4.25 more turnovers a game than Wisconsin.

When you think of a typical Badgers’ game, you imagine the final score will be somewhere in the 60s, but Wisconsin is averaging 70.8 points per game this year, good for seventh in the Big Ten.

To beat the Badgers, IU will need to push the pace while trying to be more efficient than Wisconsin — which is not an easy task.

Guards Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and Jordan Hulls will have to be careful with the ball, but it will be even more crucial for Ferrell and Hulls to make plays in transition.

In two of IU’s best performances of the season — against North Carolina and Minnesota — easy fast-break baskets allowed the Hoosiers to build up monumental leads.

Against Wisconsin, the game plan should be the same, because IU’s depth and athleticism are superior to the Badgers’.

Wisconsin wants to slow the game down, but if Ferrell and Hulls can set the tone by starting fast breaks, players like Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey will benefit from the aggressive pace and it will force the Badgers to abandon their style of play.
 
Prediction

Tuesday’s game between unranked Wisconsin and No. 2 Indiana is a battle for first place in the Big Ten as both teams lead the conference with 3-0 conference records.

With Assembly Hall energized, the Hoosiers will look to push the pace early and often against the Badgers, and they will find success in transition.

Coming off one of his best games of the season, Ferrell will be key for IU in transition, and I expect him to have another solid performance against a Wisconsin team that won’t be as quick as the freshman.

The Badgers’ big men, Berggren and Evans, will bang around down low against Zeller and Watford, but if Saturday’s game against Minnesota was any indication, Zeller and Watford will be ready for Wisconsin’s physicality and should have strong outings for the Hoosiers.

When it is all said and done, IU’s depth and scoring ability will bury Wisconsin, and by the end of Tuesday night, the Hoosiers will be in first place in the Big Ten.
IU wins 83-66.

­— mdnorman@indiana.edu