Wisconsin Badgers basketball is playing their best hoops of the season and in the last few seasons. After a 88-72 win over Nebraska Saturday, the Badgers hit the road for a Wednesday battle with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 12-3 on the season and 2-2 in the Big Ten.
They are coming off a 71-65 loss to Indiana Saturday. Can the Badgers get a crucial road win? Tip time is 7:30 PM on BTN.
Here are the keys to beating the Buckeyes Wednesday night.
Wisconsin Basketball Needs to Test the Buckeyes Post Depth
The Buckeyes have two good post players in Felix Okpara and Zed Key. Okpara will ebb the starter while Key comes off the bench after starting the last few seasons.
After Key, there is little to no depth at the position. Wisconsin basketball has the luxury of having Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl while Carter Gilmore and Nolan Winter come off the bench.
It may not play a huge role, but if the Badgers can get two early fouls and have either Okpara or Key sit for long stretches, I think the Badgers have a huge advantage. With how well both Crowl and Wahl are playing, it could be the difference in this game.
Wisconsin Basketball Needs to Have the Better Bench
Ohio State does have a good bench as they have eight players that play at least 17 minutes a game. They can use multiple lineups and are comfortable doing so.
While the Badgers bench players don’t play a ton of minutes outside of John Blackwell, the Wisconsin basketball bench can give Greg Gard extended minutes when needed.
The Wisconsin bench is coming off of scoring 36 points against Nebraska Saturday as well. I think the group of Winter, Gilmore, Blackwell, Kamari McGee, and Connor Essegian could be another deciding factor Wednesday night.
A Game of Guards
A ton of the Buckeyes damage on offense comes from three guards. Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr, and Jamison Battle account for 45 of Ohio State’s 78 points a game. They will be asked to shoot a ton and lead the way.
Battle has been hot from three this year. He is shooting 45% from behind the arc and has made 47 three pointers already. During his time at Minnesota, Wisconsin basketball has done a good job on Battle, but he is on a better team now and they can’t put all their attention on him.
Thornton and Gayle had moments as freshmen last season, but both players broker out near the end of the regular season and played very well in the Big Ten Tournament. Thornton has quickly established himself has one of the best point guards in the Big Ten. Gayle is a solid second option and can get buckets in a hurry.
The good news? The Badgers have three above average defensive guards in Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit, and Kamari McGee. Expect McGee to get a lot of minutes Wednesday night.
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