The Big Ten is one of the nation’s deepest conferences this season, and two of its many NCAA Tournament contenders square off in Madison as Maryland takes on Wisconsin.
College basketball is certainly topsy-turvy this season, but one thing is certain: the Big Ten is the nation’s deepest conference. Just two years after sending just four teams to the NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten could send as many as 10 schools to the big dance as programs like Rutgers and Penn State are making life hell for the traditional basketball powers.
Two of those schools face off tonight in Madison as Maryland hits the road to take on Wisconsin. The Terrapins have one of the most talented rosters in the Big Ten and looked poised to race to the top of the conference after a 10-0 start, but they have followed that up by going just 3-3 over their last six games.
That stretch includes last Friday’s blowout loss at Iowa when Maryland shot just 32.7 percent while knocking down an abysmal 4-22 3-point attempts. The Terrapins were uncharacteristically bad on offense in that game, scoring nearly 24 points below their season average in the process.
Maryland will look to right the ship with another road trip to one of the toughest places to play in the conference, the Kohl Center, otherwise known as the home of the Wisconsin Badgers. Unlike their conference rivals, the Badgers got off to a cold start, losing their opener at home to Saint Mary’s and going just 5-5 over their first ten games.
Wisconsin has gotten into a groove since, winning five of their last six games, and it is no coincidence that the turnaround came with the return of Ohio State transfer Micah Potter. The junior forward missed Wisconsin’s first ten games after being forced to sit out the first semester following his transfer, and since his return, Potter has been a spark plug for the offense.
Potter was the star in Wisconsin’s huge win over a ranked Penn State squad on Saturday, scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the 58-49 victory. The Terrapins will have to try and slow Potter down if they hope to leave Madison with a victory under their belts.
How to watch Maryland at Wisconsin
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 14
- Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Madison, WI
- Venue: Kohl Center
- TV: ESPN2
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Odds: Wisconsin -2.5 (The Action Network)
- Prediction: Wisconsin
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