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Wisconsin vs. Louisville: how to watch, game preview and open thread

A big sporting day in Wisconsin starts with the Badgers taking on the Cardinals on the hardwood in the B1G/ACC Challenge.

By Drew Hamm
NCAA Basketball: Loyola-Chicago at Wisconsin Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers (5-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) finally get to play their Big Ten/ACC Challenge game against the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals (4-0 overall, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday morning. The Cardinals haven’t played since Dec. 1 due to COVID-19 concerns and will probably only have seven or eight scholarship players available for the game.

Wisconsin will be wearing their new uniforms, which Micah Potter, Brad Davison, Aleem Ford and D’Mitrik Trice helped design and that Ryan gave his thoughts on earlier this week. Today is a big day in Wisconsin with the men’s basketball team. the football team and the Green Bay Packers playing so let’s settle into the couch and have a freaking day!

How to watch/listen

TV: ESPN2 , 11:00 a.m., CT, Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas

Streaming: Watch ESPN

Radio/Satellite: 1310 AM, Sirius/XM 84; Matt Lepay, Mike Lucas

Live stats: Here!

Arena: Kohl Center

Line: Wisconsin -6

KenPom Wisconsin win percentage: 66%

Fun facts (according to the media guides)

  • Wisconsin is 10-11 all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, trailing only Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue for most wins in the event among Big Ten teams. The Badgers are 44-45 all-time against teams from the ACC.
  • Wisconsin enters Saturday’s game with a 13-game home winning streak, the longest active streak in the Big Ten.
  • The Badgers lead the country averaging just 7.8 turnovers per game.
  • UW is tied with MSU atop the Big Ten, and ranked 10th in the NCAA, averaging 6.0 blocks per game.
  • Wisconsin and Louisville will meet for just the second time in history on Saturday. The only other meeting came in 1978 when the Cardinals claimed a 70-53 win in Louisville.
  • Wisconsin has faced off against Louisville’s head coach Chris Mack on two prior occasions while Mack was coaching Xavier.
  • The Badgers claimed a 66-63 win over Xavier in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament on a game-winning 3-pointer from Bronson Koenig.
  • Chris Mack can, and this was not listed in the game notes, suck our collective butts.
  • The Badgers have lost two of their last four Big Ten/ACC Challenge games, both on the road, but haven beaten N.C. State and Syracuse at the Kohl Center.
  • Louisville has won its first four games of the season for the 11th time in the last 12 years. The Cardinals have started 5-0 in eight of the last 11 years entering Saturday’s game.
  • Louisville’s 18 days between its last game on Dec. 1 against Western Kentucky and its next on Dec. 19 at Wisconsin will be its longest in-season stretch without a game in 54 years.

Probable starters

Wisconsin

  • D’Mitrik Trice, 6-foot, redshirt senior, guard, No. 0
  • Aleem Ford, 6-foot-8 redshirt senior, forward, No. 2
  • Micah Potter, 6-foot-10, redshirt senior, center, No. 11
  • Brad Davison, 6-foot-4, senior, guard, No. 34
  • Nate Reuvers, 6-foot-11, senior, forward, No. 35

Louisville

  • Carlik Jones, 6-foot-2, redshirt senior, guard, No. 1
  • Samuel Willamson, 6-foot-7, sophomore, forward, No. 10
  • David Johnson, 6-foot-5, sophomore, guard, No. 13
  • Dre Davs, 6-foot-5, freshman, forward, No. 14
  • Jae’Lyn Withers, 6-foot-8, redshirt freshman, center, No. 24

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