Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
If there’s one team that has had the Indiana Hoosiers‘ number over their recent surge back to prominence, its been the Wisconsin Badgers. The Hoosiers haven’t beat Wisconsin since January 31, 2007 when they won 71-66 in Bloomington. Since then, they’ve lost 12 in a row and are 6-20 since 2000.
The Badgers came in and defeated Indiana 64-59 in Assembly Hall last year while the Hoosiers were ranked No. 1. Indiana had a chance at revenge in the Big 10 Tournament semifinals in Chicago, and again lost 68-56. Now, Indiana has a chance to give Wisconsin (16-0, 3-0) a taste of their own medicine as they’re one of four teams in Division 1 basketball that’s still undefeated. The Badgers rank third in the nation and are going to be tough for Indiana to beat.
However, the Hoosiers are facing a big must-win on Tuesday night at home. Indiana finally got over the hump by winning a conference game on Saturday over Penn State, and now need a signature win to get back in the NCAA Tournament discussion. A win over Wisconsin would certainly do that.
This game will be a tad different than the past Wisconsin -Indiana battles. This won’t be the grinder that it normally is. This Wisconsin team can actually score as they’re surpassed 80 points in three of their last five games. They put up 95 in their last game against Illinois. Their defense is the same as the Badgers have held their opponents to less than 70 points in 12 straight games and in 14 of their 16 games this year.
This win would be a huge for Indiana. They need to play smart, hit their shots and not turn the ball over.
