[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The No. 20 Wisconsin men’s basketball team plays host to the Indiana Hoosiers (18-7, 9-5 Big Ten) tonight at the Kohl Center in a battle for third place in the conference standings. The Badgers (14-11, 9-5 Big Ten) are 13-1 at home this season, but they will be facing a red-hot Indiana team that took out then-No. 10 Michigan State Sunday. The winner of this game takes over sole possession of third place in the Big Ten with just one more game remaining on the docket for both squads.

These two teams last met in Bloomington, Ind., when the Hoosiers took care of the Badgers 74-61. Indiana jumped out to an early 13-3 lead and didn’t look back as Wisconsin turned the ball over 18 times, feeling the pressure from a tough Indiana defense. This time around Wisconsin will look to play within their offense and maintain the tempo of the game. Indiana smothered the Badgers in their last meeting, as Wisconsin only shot 6-for-21 in the first half.

“They can cover passing lanes, they can close on the ball, they can create havoc with quick hands and they can cause turnovers in a lot of different ways,” head coach Bo Ryan said of Indiana’s defense. “Give credit to them defensively because they caused the turnovers and disrupted what we were trying to do.”

The Hoosiers come into Madison with some hop in their step, fresh off an upset victory over Michigan State Sunday. In fact, Indiana has won three straight in Big Ten play by an average margin of 10 points.

Conversely, the Badgers have failed to put together a streak of any kind in their last six games. It has been a series of ups and downs for Ryan’s squad since they won two straight against Penn State and Northwestern, with losses coming at the hands of Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan State. Ryan attributes the rollercoaster ride to the circumstances of each game.

“It’s been who we’ve played, and sometimes it’s when you play them,” Ryan said. “But I don’t think that’s unusual. I’ve seen other teams in the Big Ten go through that … I’ll tell you what. There are teams that are losing two or three in a row. I don’t want to be there.”

Besides a stifling defense, Wisconsin will have to deal with Bracey Wright, the defending Big Ten Player of the Week, who scored a season-high 32 points against the Spartans Sunday and has averaged 29.5 points in his team’s two wins last week. Wright banked in a key 3-pointer in overtime against Michigan State and he was 5-for-8 on the night from beyond the arc.

“Bracey Wright is just playing ball the way he knows how to play,” Ryan said. “He’s shooting it and he’s shooting it with confidence. Off the dribble he’s pulling up, which he hurt us with. Then he’d turn the corner and put it on the floor.”

Indiana also boasts a strong freshman class. Forward D.J. White is the Hoosiers’ second leading scorer with 13.6 points per game, as well as the team’s best rebounder, grabbing an average of 4.9 balls off the glass each game. Guard Robert Vaden has averaged 10.3 points per game this season while shooting 37.7 percent from 3-point range.

Another sharp shooter, A.J. Ratliff has shot an astounding 44 percent from the land of trey and is over 50 percent from the field.

“I’m impressed with them — who isn’t?” asked Ryan of Indiana’s talented freshmen. “They were all great athletes in high school and they’re physically very mature.”

Even with a talented group of freshmen, Indiana still must deal with the Big Ten’s stingiest defense. The Badgers come into tonight’s game giving up only 60.7 points per game, allowing opponents to shoot only 42.6 percent from the floor. Combine that with an Indiana team that has allowed teams to shoot just 41.6 percent from the floor all season, and the match should prove a low-scoring affair.

The key for the Badgers will be to balance the offense. Against the Hoosiers earlier this year, Wisconsin shot 18 attempts from 3-point range and they made only three. In comparison, they were only able to get off 45 shots from the floor, which was down from the 53.2 attempts they have averaged all year.

Wisconsin will also look to control the boards. The Hoosiers have averaged three less rebounds per game than their opponents this season, while the Badgers have grabbed an average of 4.2 more than their opponents. Swingman Alando Tucker and forward Mike Wilkinson have dominated the glass this season, and doing so tonight, especially on offense, would give the Badgers the second opportunities they need against Indiana’s smothering defense.

Wisconsin has won four of the last five games in this series, but they will want this one tonight, with third place in the Big Ten on the line, as well as a little revenge.