The pressure is on for Wisconsin men’s basketball to notch victories in winnable games and they’ll be put to the test when they host Nebraska Wednesday night.
Looking for their sixth-straight win, Wisconsin (14-9 overall, 6-4 Big Ten) will have to contain a hot-shooting Nebraska team (13-11 Overall, 5-6 Big Ten) at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers only have seven games remaining in their regular season schedule, including matchups against ranked opponents such as No. 2 Maryland, No. 4 Iowa and No. 8 Michigan State.
Last time out
Wisconsin was impressive in their 79-68 victory over Ohio State last Thursday.
Men’s basketball: Badgers use three-point stroke to get past Buckeyes for fifth straight victory
The Badgers rode their three-point shooting to victory, knocking down 13 of 27 from downtown. Sophomore Jordan Hill hit three of those for nine points in a solid bench outing, while Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ each had more than 10 points.
The win made Wisconsin’s case for a tournament bid all the more plausible and set them up for a promising last stretch of the season.
Wisconsin’s key to victory
Long-range shooting:
Wisconsin’s range from three-point territory made its offense increasingly versatile in the Ohio State game.
Six different Badgers hit at least one three-pointer, which made Ohio State commit to defending the perimeter and opened up driving lanes to the basket.
As a team that is often more comfortable with layups than pure shooting, Wisconsin should look to continue this trend. As the team has found its groove, better shot opportunities have encouraged more outside shots since the beginning of the season, which makes the process even easier.
Opposing player to watch: Andrew White
White will most likely not have right-hand man Shavon Shields by his side against the Badgers. That means almost all of Nebraska’s offense will be channeled through the junior guard who averages 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1 steal.
White has consistently hovered around the 20-point mark for the past four games, but will need to produce more without Shields, who is recovering from a scary fall against Rutgers.
