The Wisconsin men’s basketball team is rolling and shows no signs of slowing down.

After a poor 1-4 start to Big Ten competition, interim head coach Greg Gard has elevated his team’s level of play and led them on a six-game win streak. As a result, they sit at a tie for fifth place in the conference and are just a half-game behind Purdue for fourth.

Wisconsin, however, now enters the toughest part of their regular season schedule. It starts with No. 2 Maryland at College Park Saturday where the Badgers will look to avenge a heartbreaking defeat they suffered at the hands of the Terrapins in early January.

Last time out

University of Wisconsin hit the court Wednesday to take on Nebraska, and poured it on the Cornhuskers’ 2-3 zone with their terrific 3-point shooting. The Badgers shot an incredible 11-18 from beyond the arc, which led to a 72-61 victory.

Nigel Hayes scored a game-high 20 points in the outing, but it was Vitto Brown’s performance that stole the show. The junior forward shot 6-7 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from the field on his way to scoring a career-high 18 points.

Men’s basketball breakdown: Badgers ride three-point shot en route to downing Cornhuskers

Wisconsin keys to victory

Reestablish their inside presence:  If the Badgers want to continue their offensive efficiency against one of the country’s best teams, they’ll have to go back to what got them this far: have redshirt freshman Ethan Happ regain his dominance on the block and have Hayes continue attacking the basket at will. It is highly unlikely Wisconsin will be able to lean on another 3-point onslaught like in the games against Nebraska and Ohio State — Maryland won’t struggle defensively like those teams did.

Limit pick-and-roll opportunities: As of late, Maryland guard Melo Trimble and forward Robert Carter have been deadly in the pick-and-roll and the pick-and-pop. Trimble’s quickness and Carter’s ability to shoot from the outside make the duo a deadly combination. But if the Badgers can find a way to counter the foundation of Maryland’s offensive attack and force others to contribute, they’ll have a much easier time on defense.

Maryland player to watch: Jake Layman

After a productive junior campaign, senior Layman came into the season with lofty expectations. But a revamped Maryland roster has led to some inconsistent contributions, especially in recent games. In his last three games, Layman scored a combined 16 points while shooting a poor 5-13 from the field.

With Gard implementing a three-guard lineup more often, Layman, a 6-foot-9 small forward, could potentially exploit some mismatches against a smaller Wisconsin guard. Both on the offensive and in rebounding battle, Layman looks to get back on track this season.