MADISON, Wis. - In case you hadn't heard, the Badgers have a pretty big game coming up. No. 20 Wisconsin will host No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday in the Kohl Center, with the winning team claiming first place in the Big Ten, at least for the time being. It will also be another chapter in the growing rivalry between the two schools, which just got a little more intense on the football side of things with a spat between Bret Bielema and Urban Meyer.

But if you asked head coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers aren't looking at Saturday's game any differently. They have a history with the Buckeyes, but that doesn't mean the Badgers will get worked up about having another chance to take down another highly ranked Ohio State squad.

"I don't see our guys getting too high or two low. You keep an even keel, you work," Ryan said Friday. "If you try to make a big deal out of one (game), what do you do the next time?"

Having the game in the Kohl Center definitely works in the Badgers' favor. Under Bo Ryan, the Badgers are 5-1 against AP Top 5 teams at home, and are currently on a five game winning streak. You don't have to look that far back to find their last Top 5 win: Feb. 12, 2011, when the Badgers beat the Buckeyes 71-67 on the strength of Jordan Taylor's 27 points. That kind of success doesn't just happen, according to Ryan.

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Guess who just got back today?
Them wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven't changed, haven't much to say
But man, I still think them cats are crazy

Thin Lizzy--The Boys Are Back In Town

After a hard fought series in Grand Forks against North Dakota, the Wisconsin men's hockey team returns home to the Kohl Center to host St. Cloud State University.

Last weekend the Badgers were swept by North Dakota. St. Cloud State is also coming off two losses that came at the hands of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

With only four WCHA series left in the season and the Badgers in 9th place in the league, time is running out to acquire the points necessary to garner home ice advantage in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

"We're not that far out of home ice. But, again, we have to take care of our business and refocus and learn our lessons and move forward," Badger head coach Mike Eaves noted this week.

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Just as it was last season, Wisconsin’s home showdown with Ohio State is by far its most hyped game of the season. For the second year in a row, both teams come into the game with impressive winning streaks (UW: six, OSU: 4), and once again, the Buckeyes undoubtedly have more talent. But in the confines of the Kohl Center, they’ll hardly be favorites.

This season though, each team is a bit less highly regarded than it was last season. The Buckeyes, currently the No. 3 team in the nation, were undefeated in last year’s showdown and the Badgers, currently ranked No. 20, were a top 15 unit. Does that mean this game is less meaningful? Hardly.

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We're back once again with our weekly "Take Five" series where we take a deeper look into the hockey Badgers opposition by chatting with local beat writers from around the country. This week Wisconsin is heading back home to the Kohl Center where they will host WCHA conference foe St. Cloud State University.

Since we caught up with SCSU beat writer Mick Hatten earlier this season, this week I changed it up and was able to chat with the radio voice of St. Cloud State Zack Fisch (@zackfisch), who announces Husky hockey games for 88.1 FM KVSC.

Wisconsin is coming off a series at North Dakota in which they were swept. St. Cloud is coming off a home and home series against Minnesota in which they were also swept.

This week I was able to chat with Zack about SCSU's goaltending situation, who has stepped up in the absense of multiple players who are injured offensively, as well as his prediction for the weekend.

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MADISON, Wis. -- It's something that Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema has said before: coaches lose more friendships in recruiting than they do on the field.

So it's probably fair to say that Bielema's relationship with new Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is frosty at best.

During his signing day press conference, Bielema was asked about how Meyer will affect recruiting in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes pulled in one of the top signing classes this season, ranking first in the Big Ten and sixth overall by ESPN. Bielema mentioned that he had a discussion with Meyer about some of his recruiting tactics sometime after he joined the conference in November.

"I hope (recruiting) doesn't change, I think the potential to change has been there," Bielema said Wednesday. "There was a few things that happened early on, that I made people aware of that I didn't want to see in this league, that I had seen take place in other leagues. Other recruiting tactics, other recruiting practices that are illegal.

"I was very up front and was very pointed to the fact, actually reached out to coach Meyer and shared my thoughts and concerns with him. The situation got rectified."

And now Matt Hayes at The Sporting News is reporting that Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez will speak with Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany about Meyer's recruiting style.

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MADISON, Wis. - There's a buzz in the air about this weekend's matchup between No. 3 Ohio State and No. 20 Wisconsin, but Wisconsin forward Mike Bruesewtiz says he wasn't aware of it until recently.

"Yeah we went through a day of practice with scout (teams), so somebody was ‘Sullinger' so I just kind of assumed that they were (next)," Bruesewitz said after practice Thursday.

That might be just a figure of speech, but it's clear that the Badgers aren't looking at playing the Buckeyes any differently. Right now they're just another team on the schedule, even though Saturday's game is effectively a battle for first place in the Big Ten.

"It's just another game, another 40 minutes," sophomore guard Josh Gasser said. "It's a little bit of a bigger game just because of the conference race, but we don't really pay attention to that. We've got make sure we keep this place protected, and take care of business."

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In case you had forgotten in all this National Signing Day nonsense, there is a pretty epic basketball game this weekend. No. 19 Wisconsin hosts No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday with sole possession of first place in the Big Ten conference at stake.

It's been a wild ride for the Badgers over the past month. It began with a terrifying home loss to Iowa, followed by a heartbreaking home setback to Michigan State, and finally a blowout loss at Michigan. Yet, here we are. Wisconsin has found a way to win each of the last six games to the point where UW controls its own destiny in the Big Ten race. It's almost surreal.

A big thanks goes out to Chris Lauderback from OSU blogging juggernaut Eleven Warriors, for agreeing to give us the Buckeye perspective on this match up. I also chatted with Elika at Eleven Warriors for their preview.

B5Q: This weekend's match up might not have quite the same buzz as last year's tilt, but first place in the Big Ten is on the line. Where do you rank this game in terms of importance for Ohio State's season?

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