Final Tune-up Awaits Badgers
December 31, 2006 | Men's Basketball
The fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (13-1) will go for their 10th consecutive win today against the Georgia Bulldogs (8-3) in Athens, Ga. The game will tip-off at noon and will be broadcast live on ESPN Plus.
This is the final non-conference game for the Badgers during the regular season. UW opens the Big Ten slate Saturday at home against Minnesota.
Wisconsin is trying to become just the sixth team in school history to win 14 of its first 15 games. The last time that happened was during the 1928-29 season. The last time UW strung together 10 wins in a row was during the 2000-01 season.
The Badgers and Bulldogs have met twice before in the Milwaukee Classic tournament in 1974 and in Arizona State's Tribune Classic in 1989. Both games were decided by two points or less.
After an 8-1 start, Georgia has dropped back-to-back games on the road at Georgia Tech and at Clemson. Wisconsin represents the fourth Georgia opponent in its last five games to either be ranked or to receive Top 25 poll votes at game time. The Bulldogs open SEC play Saturday at No. 3 Florida.
Guards Mike Mercer and Levi Stukes lead Georgia in scoring this season. Mercer is averaging nearly 17 points per game and ranks second on the team in both assists and steals. Stukes is the Bulldogs' leading 3-point threat and is hitting on 53 percent of his long-distance dials. He averages 14 points per game and is a 91 percent free-throw shooter.
Georgia will match-up well with the size of Wisconsin. Seven-footer Rashaad Singleton mans the paint. Steve Newman (6'9') and Terrance Woodbury (6'7 ') are the forwards.
Georgia is 6-1 at home this season. Their lone loss came against Western Kentucky in game two.
UW forward Alando Tucker (20.0 ppg.) fell a tenth of a point behind Purdue's Carl Landry for the Big Ten lead in scoring. He scored 28 points at Marquette in UW 's only other road contest this season. That was five games ago on Dec. 9.
Brian Butch has two double-doubles and has averaged over 18 points in his last three contests. He had 17 points and tied his career high in rebounds with 12 Wednesday against Gardner-Webb.
Point guard Kammron Taylor has reached double figures in each of the last five games. He is the Badgers second-leading scorer at 12.4 points per game.
