After arguably one of the best weeks in the history of Wisconsin basketball, the Badgers travel to snowy Pennsylvania to face the lowly Nittany Lions. With the Badgers sitting atop the conference standings, Jerry Dunn and company are looking for a chance to at least make an impact in the conference, and there would be no better first win for their conference season than if the Lions could knock off the Badgers.
UW claimed its most lopsided victory of the season Feb. 1, destroying Penn State 86-55 at the Kohl Center. Kirk Penney had 28 points for Wisconsin, which had led the game by over 40 points for large stretches.
Devin Harris ran the point-guard position to near perfection for the Badgers, scoring 14 points and adding a career-high seven assists, along with nine rebounds and three steals while keeping the Lions’ leading scorer, Brandon Watkins, to only 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting.
Watkins’ woes mirrored much of his team’s shooting problems, as Penn State shot a paltry 34 percent from the field. Shariff Chambliss scored a quiet 20 points for the Lions, mostly from the perimeter, as the Badgers owned the post, outscoring Penn State 54-18 in the paint.
But things could be different on the road, as the Badgers fell 51-49 last season at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park. Wisconsin shot an awful 39.6 percent from the field while only connecting on 3-of-14 attempts from 3-point land.
Since the Badgers hosted the Lions in February, Watkins’ scoring has leveled off a little bit, as the senior is now second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game. Chambliss now holds the scoring lead for the Lions, as the junior is averaging 14.5 points per contest.
Down low, the Lions are led by sophomore forward Jan Jagla, who is averaging 8.4 points per game along with a team-high 6.6 rebounds. Guard/forward Deforrest Riley is keeping pace with 8.9 points per game, while freshman center Robert Summers contributes 4.4 points along with 4.0 rebounds.
The real problem for Penn State this season has been its poor defensive play. Penn State’s field-goal-percentage defense is near the lowest in the league, allowing opponents an average of 47.8 percent. The Lions have also been very soft in the post, despite boasting two players 6-foot-11 or taller, in Jagla and Summers.
As opposite images of each other, the Badgers lead the Big Ten in turnover margin at plus 3.61, while the Lions are near the bottom in the conference, giving up an average of 1.48 more turnovers than their opponents.
After a stunning week with wins over traditional conference powerhouses Michigan State and Indiana, the Badgers should not overlook Penn State despite its 10-game losing streak. Wisconsin has taken care of business at home this season, winning all six of its conference home games, but the Badgers are only 2-2 on the road in the Big Ten this season.
After Penn State, the Badgers travel to Iowa City Saturday. The Badgers only have two home games remaining this season, both against strong teams in Michigan and Illinois. The Badgers must win on the road against their weaker conference opponents if they want to take the Big Ten title for the second time in as many seasons.