The Wisconsin Badgers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center on Sunday afternoon, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on FS1.
Wisconsin is coming off a tough 86-69 road loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in a game where they fell behind early and were never able to recover. After the game, head coach Greg Gard said the team wasn’t physical enough and didn’t play with enough pace in the loss, which was evident from the jump.
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Now, the Badgers will look to bounce back against an Iowa team that is 19-7 this season, including 9-6 in the Big Ten. Iowa is coming off a 57-52 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who snapped a two-game losing streak. But before that, the Hawkeyes were on a six-game winning streak, gaining momentum in the Big Ten.
Under first-year head coach Ben McCollum, the Hawkeyes are much different from the Iowa teams under Fran McCaffrey. Iowa plays with one of the slowest tempos in the country and is much more reliant on its defense, which has been excellent this season.
The Hawkeyes also have one of the best point guards in the country in Bennett Stirtz, who is averaging 20.5 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
This game scenario is similar to Wisconsin vs. Michigan State. The Badgers need to hit some threes and get physical defensively. Against a slower team like Iowa, runs will be extremely beneficial, especially if they come early, like against Michigan State.
Can the Badgers bounce back with a win? Join us as our game thread is officially open!
