The only undefeated team in Big Ten play, No. 15 Wisconsin will attempt to win its seventh consecutive game overall when it faces Penn State on Tuesday in University Park, Pa.
The Badgers (13-3, 5-0 Big Ten) have lost only once in their past 13 games — a road defeat against Arizona, then the No. 1 team in the country. Most recently, they defeated visiting Northwestern 71-63 on Saturday as Max Klesmit scored 24 points and AJ Storr chipped in 14.
Wisconsin shot exactly 50 percent from both the floor and from beyond the 3-point line, with Klesmit shooting 9 of 13 from the field and 5 of 7 from outside the arc in a crisp overall performance.
“We knew they were going to double the post, so just cutting and finding the open spots was something we worked on,” said Badgers forward Tyler Wahl, who pitched in 11 points. “I feel like we did a good job, not just me, but a lot of guys were cutting and putting the defense at a disadvantage.”
The Badgers have given up 65.5 points per game this season, but they have held their opponent below that figure four times during their six-game winning streak.
The Nittany Lions (8-9, 2-4) are trending in the opposite direction defensively. They have allowed at least 73 points in all six of their conference games, including 95 points in a 17-point defeat against No. 1 Purdue in their most recent outing.
Penn State endured a 31-5 first-half run against the mighty Boilermakers and never fully recovered in losing for the third time in four games.
“We fought. We battled. But that run in the first half just put us in too deep a hole,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said.
Nick Kern Jr. scored 18 points off the bench for Penn State, while Kanye Clary had 16 points. The other four starters combined for just 20 points on 6-of-19 shooting.
Penn State likely will need to be in rhythm offensively in order to keep up with a Wisconsin team that features six players averaging between 7.9 and 14.9 points per game. Storr is the team’s leading scorer and is coming off a big second half against Northwestern after he didn’t make a field goal in the opening 20 minutes.
Storr said his mindset was “just staying with it. Every shot is not going to go in. Keep attacking the rim. They were fouling us a lot, and we were in the bonus. I got a chance to get some free throws and get in rhythm.”
Wisconsin has won 18 of the past 19 meetings between the teams, including two close victories (63-60 and 79-74) a season ago. The Badgers shot 43.9 percent from 3-point range over the two games.
“It is a great testament to their togetherness, to their mental toughness,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said after the second matchup. “Because when things are going well, it is easy to cruise along. When you get in some rough patches, you’ve got to find a way to fight through it. This group as we have come through some of this, they’ve stayed right with it.”
–Field Level Media
