What to expect from Savannah State vs. Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers look to get back on track after a weekend loss as it hosts the Savannah State Tigers on Thursday night at the Kohl Center.

Savannah State (3-8) comes off a 139-72 loss on the road on Dec. 11 to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The Tigers gave up an astounding 90 points in the first half, and opponents are averaging exactly 100 per contest through the first 11 games.

The Tigers have given up at least 95 points or more in eight of its 11 contents. The least amount of points scored by an opponent has been Alcorn State in an 80-75 Savannah State victory back on Nov. 24.

They will face a Wisconsin (8-2, 2-0 Big Ten) squad who felt the sting of an overtime loss to now-No.21 Marquette at the new Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Saturday. The Badgers squandered opportunities at the free throw line (10 of 21) and were plagued by poor three-point shooting and early turnover trouble.

Team stats

• Points per game: 79.5
• Opponents’ points per game: 100.0
• Field goal percentage: 36.3 (304 for 838)
• Opponent field goal percentage: 50.4 (411 for 815)
• Three-point percentage: 28.3 (142 for 501)
• Free throw percentage: 65.1
• KenPom.com team rank: 345 (out of 353)
• KenPom.com adjusted offensive efficiency: 94.3 (329th in nation)
• KenPom.com adjusted defensive efficiency: 114.2 (347th in nation)

Notable Tigers to watch

• Junior guard Jaquan Dotson: 12.4 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game
• Junior guard Zach Sellers: 10.8 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 4.5 assists per game
• Freshman guard Collins Joseph: 10.4 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game
• Senior guard Zaquavian “Qua” Smith: 9.8 points per game; has not scored double digit points in six consecutive games
• Senior forward Jahlin Smith: 8.9 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game in 10 contests