Big Ten Men's Basketball No. 21/22 Wisconsin vs. Minnesota
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18-6 (7-4 Big Ten)		17-7 (5-6 Big Ten)
Feb. 9, 2012 6:00 PM CT Williams Arena (14,625), Minneapolis, MN
TV: ESPN (Dave O'Brien, Stephen Bardo) Radio: 1070 FM / 1310 AM (Matt Lepay, Mike Lucas)
All-time Series: Minnesota leads 100-89 Last Meeting: UW won 68-60 (12/28/10)

The border battle between the Badgers and Gophers renews for the 190th time tonight. Minnesota leads the series in Minneapolis, 67-30.

Gopher fans can only wish that Minnesota native Jordan Taylor had stayed home, because Tubby Smith's team lacks a true point guard. What they do have is a bevy of young guards in the 6'1 to 6'4" range, like the Hollins brothers. Freshman Joe Coleman in particular has raised his level of play lately to bring some toughness to the backcourt. Both he and high-flying Rodney Williams have been the keys to Minnesota's remarkable turnaround. After starting 0-4 in conference, the Gophers have won five of seven.

Wisconsin is trying to avoid starting another losing streak and will have to shake off the rough shooting performance they produced against Ohio State. Taylor must also regain his recent form taking care of the ball. Ryan Evans is coming off his third-straight game in double figures and is now scoring 10 ppg in Big Ten play.

On paper, Penn State looks like an easy target for the Badgers tonight. Wisconsin is 4-2 on the road this year and the Nittany Lions come in as the worst shooting team in Big Ten play at 36.8%. But that doesn't make PSU any less hungry or making shots any less important for UW. With a home test looming against Ohio State, a distracted Wisconsin team will get chopped down just like the Illinois and Purude teams that have fallen at Penn State already this year.

Ultra-quick Tim Frazier is the engine for the Nitts and his name is all over the current Big Ten leaderboard. The junior point guard is second in league scoring (19.0), first in assists (5.1) and third in steals (2.2) per game. Both Frazier and Cammeron Woodyard are excellent free throw shooters should this one get a little tight down the stretch, and Penn State is also a surprisingly good rebounding team. Of course, the team has gotten a lot of practice because of its awful shooting ...

Badger guard Ben Brust is a game-time decision for tonight's game due to an illness.

Illinois fell victim to a last-second shot by Tim Frazier and saw their short stay atop the Big Ten swatted away by Penn State the last time out. Meanwhile, Wisconsin blitzed Northwestern in the second half to pull within a half game of the Illini in the conference standings.

The key to the game may very well be junior Jared Berggren. Though Berggren snapped up a career-best 13 rebounds against Nebraska, his touch has deserted him during Big Ten play. Now shooting 31.7% in conference, Berggren is only Wisconsin's sixth-leading scoring in those games. But his proclivity to fire jumpers may actually come in handy by pulling Illinois' 7-footer, Meyers Leonard, away from the hoop. Leonard averages 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 blockers per game and is second on the team in scoring behind Brandon Paul with 13.1 points per contest.

Paul and six other Chicago-area players litter the Illini roster. Five Badgers hail from the Chicago area too, though none were recruited seriously by Illinois. Could guys like Ben Brust and Frank Kaminsky play with a chip on their shoulder in this quasi-homecoming?

Big Ten Men's Basketball Northwestern at Wisconsin
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12-5 (2-3 Big Ten)		14-5 (3-3 Big Ten)
Jan. 18, 2012 8:00 PM CT Kohl Center (17,230), Madison, WI
TV: BTN (Eric Collins & Shon Morris) Radio: 1310 AM (Matt Lepay, Mike Lucas)
All-time Series: Wisconsin leads 108-61 Last Meeting: Wisconsin won, 78-63 in Madison

MADISON - Greetings from the Kohl Center, where the Badgers will try and extend their winning streak to three games against the Wildcats of Northwestern. If Wisconsin is successful, it will head into a crucial showdown with Illinois on Sunday with a conference record above .500.

While four of the Badgers' five losses on the season have come at the hands of teams ranked in the top 16 of either poll, the team's performance against Nebraska last weekend left a lot to be desired. Another half shooting 6-of-28 from the floor won't cut it against a Northwestern team that knocked off Michigan State last week.

Despite UW's offensive struggles, its defense has been consistently stellar. The Badgers lead the nation in allowing just 48.5 points per game.

The Wildcats have never won at the Kohl Center. Could that streak come to an end tonight?

As always, your comments, questions and predictions are welcome. We'll be here all game long.

Big Ten Men's Basketball Nebraska at Wisconsin
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9-7 (1-4 Big Ten)		13-5 (2-3 Big Ten)
Jan. 15, 2012 5:00 PM CT Kohl Center (17,230), Madison, WI
TV: BTN (Brian Anderson & Shon Morris) Radio: 1310 AM (Matt Lepay, Mike Lucas)
All-time Series: Nebraska leads 10-7 Last Meeting: Wisconsin won, 64-40 in Lincoln, Neb.

MADISON - Greetings from the Kohl Center, where a sparse crowd is on hand to watch the Badgers try and shake a rare two-game home losing streak.

Wisconsin began its Big Ten schedule in promising fashion, dominating the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln. After dropping three consecutive games, the Badgers picked up a crucial road win at Purdue Thursday night. It's an indication of the unpredictability of the 2011-12 Big Ten season.

We'll be here all game long, so feel free to chime in with your comments, questions and predictions.

Big Ten Men's Basketball Wisconsin vs. Purdue
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12-5 (1-3 Big Ten)		13-4 (3-1 Big Ten)
Jan. 12, 2012 6:00 PM CT Mackey Arena (14,123), West Lafayette, IN
TV: ESPN (Dave O'Brien, Stephen Bardo) Radio: 1070 FM / 1310 AM (Matt Lepay, Mike Lucas)
All-time Series: Purdue leads 104-64 Last Meeting: Purdue won 70-62 (2/16/11)

After laying an absolute egg on national television this past weekend, Wisconsin gets the chance to redeem itself in the early ESPN slot. The team's struggles on the road at Purdue are well-known and have been beaten into the ground at this point. Getting one game closer to a winning record against Purdue would be pretty high on Bo Ryan's list I would imagine. Ryan is enters the game with a 7-9 record against the Boilers.

Keep an eye on Jared Berggren, who is only shooting 29.5% in Big Ten play, attempting only one free throw in those four games. The Badgers realistically could have the overall edge up front, despite Robbie Hummel's healthy return, because Purdue's bigs are so inexperienced. Wisconsin's backcourt may have it's hands full containing the perimeter quickness of the Boilermakers.

We shall see ...

John Beilein searches for his first ever win over Bo Ryan today in a crucial match up for both teams. The Badgers stole one in Ann Arbor last season on Josh Gasser's banked 3-pointer at the buzzer. Don't think the Wolverines have forgotten. This one is on national television on a day when Michigan will dedicate it's new Player Development facility, so the crowd will be lively.

Wisconsin is reeling after two consecutive home losses and must make up some ground by stealing a win on the road. Michigan nearly stole one on the road from Indiana on Thursday, falling 73-71. Expect a slow pace in this game, with an emphasis on protecting the defensive glass. The best shooting team will likely claim the victory.

Check out our Q&A series with UMHoops here and there. Keep the comments clean, as usual, and fire away.

NCAA Football 98th Rose Bowl Game No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 10 Wisconsin
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11-2 (8-1 Pac-12)		11-2 (6-2 Big Ten)
Jan. 2, 2012 4:10 PM CT Rose Bowl (88,450), Pasadena, Calif.
TV: ESPN (Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Erin Andrews) Radio: Wisconsin Radio Network ESPN Radio
All-time Series: Wisconsin leads 3-1 Last Meeting: UO won 31-28, on Sept. 1, 2011 in Eugene, Ore.

Greetings from the Rose Bowl, as the Wisconsin Badgers get ready to take on the Oregon Ducks in the 98th-annual Rose Bowl game. It should be an excellent game - a matchup of two conference winners, both of whom feel like they could have been playing for something more this season. This is also the 43rd time the Rose Bowl Game features two teams ranked in the Top 10 nationally. We've been talking about it for at least a month, and it's finally time to get started.

Do you really need any more explanation? It's the Granddaddy of Them All, after all. Hit the jump to get started.

If you want to follow my updates on Twitter, feel more than free to hit the "follow" button: @JohnVeldhuis

Big Ten Men's Basketball No. 11 Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
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11-2 (0-0 Big Ten)		8-3 (0-0 Big Ten)
Dec. 27, 2011 8:00 PM CT Devaney Center (13,595), Lincoln, NE
TV: ESPN2 (Dave Armstrong, Dan Dakich) Radio: 1070 FM / 1310 AM (Matt Lepay, Mike Lucas)
All-time Series: UNL leads 10-6 Last Meeting: UW won 78-41 (11/22/98)

As discussed earlier today, Wisconsin completes its welcoming party duties tonight in Lincoln after already baptizing Nebraska into the Big Ten in football earlier this fall. The basketball matchup doesn't carry the same luster though.

The big concern for the host Huskers are the injuries to several key players. At best, starting center Brian Jorge Diaz (feet) could play spot minutes off the bench if necessary. Sixth man Dylan Talley (thigh) will be absent on the wing, while senior guard Caleb Walker (back) is going to attempt to play tonight.

Jordan Taylor looked much better against Mississippi Valley State last week after getting some rest for his ankle during finals week, so I anticipate a solid Badger effort across the board in this one. Comment away!