The last time IU defeated Wisconsin, Kelvin Sampson was the Hoosiers’ head coach, and Eric Gordon was a high school senior.
IU has lost its last 10 games to Wisconsin, dating back to 2008, a streak it hopes to snap when the Badgers come to Assembly Hall today.
That’s the obvious streak.
The Hoosiers, leading the nation in scoring with 87.1 points per contest, could take aim at another 10-game Badger streak as well, though.
None of Wisconsin’s last 10 opponents have broken 60 points, and all but two have lost. It is the embodiment of longtime Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan’s slow, methodical game plan run to near-perfection.
“They’re not going to make mistakes,” IU Associate Head Coach Tim Buckley said. “They’re not going to beat themselves.”
Wisconsin led the country last season in scoring defense and has been in the top 10 each of the past six seasons. They are ranked sixth in the category this season and lead the Big Ten.
This is achieved on both ends of the court, including with a deliberate yet physical offense that takes its time on each possession.
“They’re fundamentally sound,” Buckley said. “I would say all their guys play within themselves. You never really see them play too fast. They try to play at their own tempo.”
But the Badgers are not slaves to their own system, senior guard Jordan Hulls said, and for the most part, the same defensive strategies IU has employed all season should work against Wisconsin if executed properly.
“Any team in the Big Ten is physical, so the response is no different,” Hulls said. “They like to crash the boards, and we need to make sure we get back on defense as well. They do not like to run the ball that much, but they still go if the opportunity’s there.”
Perhaps nothing represents Wisconsin’s precision on offense better than turnovers.
The Badgers are committing only 8.9 per game this season to lead the nation.
The Badger’s defense works to make opponents play its own game, the physical nature of the team extending to that facet of the game, Buckley said.
“I think the tempo has more to do with how many points are scored than it does with field goal defense,” Buckley said. “I think that’s how they’re able to keep scores down. There’s less possessions.
“But when they play their defense, that’s what they do a really good job of carrying out, making you take the lowest percentage shot you can take on each possession.”
Despite Wisconsin’s tried-and-true game plan that has flummoxed IU for years, Buckley reiterated that IU will stick to its guns.
Against a team that is clearly at home in low scoring affairs, such as a recent 47-41 victory against Nebraska that had a 19-19 deadlock at halftime, the Hoosiers will dare them to stop IU’s speedy tempo, complete with ball movement, smart shots and physicality of its own.
“We’re going to play the way we want to play,” Buckley said. “I don’t think anyone can keep anybody from running unless you grab their jersey and hold them back. We want to get out and run, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we want to shoot fast. We want to get the best shot available, but we want to play at the tempo that we want to play at.”
IU has lost its last 10 games to Wisconsin, dating back to 2008, a streak it hopes to snap when the Badgers come to Assembly Hall today.
That’s the obvious streak.
The Hoosiers, leading the nation in scoring with 87.1 points per contest, could take aim at another 10-game Badger streak as well, though.
None of Wisconsin’s last 10 opponents have broken 60 points, and all but two have lost. It is the embodiment of longtime Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan’s slow, methodical game plan run to near-perfection.
“They’re not going to make mistakes,” IU Associate Head Coach Tim Buckley said. “They’re not going to beat themselves.”
Wisconsin led the country last season in scoring defense and has been in the top 10 each of the past six seasons. They are ranked sixth in the category this season and lead the Big Ten.
This is achieved on both ends of the court, including with a deliberate yet physical offense that takes its time on each possession.
“They’re fundamentally sound,” Buckley said. “I would say all their guys play within themselves. You never really see them play too fast. They try to play at their own tempo.”
But the Badgers are not slaves to their own system, senior guard Jordan Hulls said, and for the most part, the same defensive strategies IU has employed all season should work against Wisconsin if executed properly.
“Any team in the Big Ten is physical, so the response is no different,” Hulls said. “They like to crash the boards, and we need to make sure we get back on defense as well. They do not like to run the ball that much, but they still go if the opportunity’s there.”
Perhaps nothing represents Wisconsin’s precision on offense better than turnovers.
The Badgers are committing only 8.9 per game this season to lead the nation.
The Badger’s defense works to make opponents play its own game, the physical nature of the team extending to that facet of the game, Buckley said.
“I think the tempo has more to do with how many points are scored than it does with field goal defense,” Buckley said. “I think that’s how they’re able to keep scores down. There’s less possessions.
“But when they play their defense, that’s what they do a really good job of carrying out, making you take the lowest percentage shot you can take on each possession.”
Despite Wisconsin’s tried-and-true game plan that has flummoxed IU for years, Buckley reiterated that IU will stick to its guns.
Against a team that is clearly at home in low scoring affairs, such as a recent 47-41 victory against Nebraska that had a 19-19 deadlock at halftime, the Hoosiers will dare them to stop IU’s speedy tempo, complete with ball movement, smart shots and physicality of its own.
“We’re going to play the way we want to play,” Buckley said. “I don’t think anyone can keep anybody from running unless you grab their jersey and hold them back. We want to get out and run, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we want to shoot fast. We want to get the best shot available, but we want to play at the tempo that we want to play at.”
