The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team (17-10, 10-6 Big Ten) will set out to take on an opponent they have not yet faced thus far in the surging Michigan Wolverines (18-9, 9-7).

The Michigan Wolverines are arguably one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten conference right now. Most people counted them out after their puzzling month of January where they started out ranked No. 12 in the nation before going 2-5 and dropping toward the bottom of the conference.

It all started with an 18-point loss to their in-state rivals of Michigan State. The Wolverines did manage to bounce back and beat Purdue in double overtime in their next outing, but they followed that win with four straight losses against Minnesota, Iowa, Penn State and Illinois.

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Michigan, at one point, was ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation while sporting wins against two top-ten teams in North Carolina and Gonzaga. But after their collapse in the month of January, the Wolverines found themselves unranked with a 2-6 record in the Big Ten conference.

Michigan has significantly turned their season around over the past month, and are now being talked about as one of the more dangerous teams in college basketball. The Ohio State University is the only team to hand Michigan a loss in February, and the Wolverines have now re-entered the AP Poll as the No. 19 team in the nation with a 9-7 conference record.

Michigan sits in seventh place in the conference, but they are only one game back on the five-teams who are tied for second place.

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The Wolverines are not the only team riding a winning streak, as the Badgers have won their last four games. Wisconsin’s winning streak has moved the team into a tie for second place in the conference.

Despite Wisconsin’s off-court distractions and struggles away from the Kohl Center, the Badgers still have a legitimate shot to win the Big Ten conference if they can win their four remaining games. Wisconsin is two games back on the Maryland Terrapins, but the Terrapins still must go through Michigan State, Rutgers and Michigan.

The Badgers’ date with the Wolverines will take place in Ann Arbor Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN2, or you can listen live with the Badger Radio Network.