It’s Border Battle time, Badger fans!
The Wisconsin Badgers make their trek to Williams Arena to face the rival Minnesota Golden Gophers on Tuesday, December 13th. Tip-off is at 6:00 PM on the Big Ten Network, and the Badgers are 1.5-point favorites.
Last Saturday’s win in Ann Arbor will be one to remember for Badger fans. Wisconsin entered the Crisler Center as a 19.5-point underdog against an undefeated Michigan Wolverines squad.
Led by John Blackwell’s 26 points, hot three-point shooting from Aleksas
Bieliauskas, and some clutch rebounding from Braeden Carrington, Wisconsin stunned the second-ranked Wolverines 91-88. It was a victory that put the Badgers back into the NCAA tournament picture.
What should Badger fans know about the Minnesota Golden Gophers?
Opponent Preview
Niko Medved has brought renewed enthusiasm to the Gopher men’s basketball program. Minnesota, which initially struggled early this season with a 4-4 record, defeated then-No. 22 Indiana 73-64 back on December 3rd in Medved’s Big Ten debut. Since that win, the Gophers have gone 5-2, including another impressive victory over previously ranked Iowa on January 6th. In their last game on Friday, Minnesota dropped a heartbreaking 70-69 overtime loss to USC at home.
The name to know for Minnesota is North Carolina transfer guard Cade Tyson. Tyson is the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer, averaging 21.6 points a contest, and has scored 10+ points in every game this season for the Gophers. The Badgers must stay on Tyson throughout the game. If they lose track of Tyson, get him open looks, and go under screens on pick-and-roll plays designed for him, it will be a long day for Wisconsin.
Joining Tyson in the backcourt are returning guard Isaac Asuma and Northern Colorado transfer Langston Reynolds. Asuma leads the Gophers in assists with 4.2 per game and steals with 1.3/game. Reynolds, who scored a season-high 22 points against Iowa, averages 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
At the forward spots are Colorado State transfer Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and Davidson transfer Bobby Durkin. Crocker-Johnson is the Gophers’ leading rebounder at 6.6 rebounds per game. In addition, he is the second-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game and scored 10+ points in Minnesota’s last eight games. Durkin averages 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.
Something to note about Minnesota is that due to injuries, Medved used a seven-man rotation in the Gophers’ last three games. Coming off the bench are two true freshmen: forward Grayson Grove, who averages 3.1 points, and guard Kai Shinholster, averaging 2.4 points per game.
Score Prediction
This game screams trap game for Wisconsin. The Badgers, coming off one of the most significant wins in school history, now must prepare to play a team hellbent on stopping a long rivalry losing streak. The underdog Gophers should come out motivated, but Wisconsin has just enough offense to keep Minnesota at arm’s length away for their 10th consecutive win in this series.
Prediction: Wisconsin 84-78
