Heavyweight preview: UW hosts No. 9 Texas tonight
December 23, 2008 | Men's Basketball
The Badgers will close out their non-conference schedule tonight as they host No. 9 Texas at 8:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center. The Badgers (9-2) are coming off three consecutive home wins against Idaho State, Green Bay and Coppin State, and will look to clinch a sweep of their four-game homestand.
Tonight's game against Texas will be televised on ESPN2 with Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale on the call as well as streamed on the internet at id=283580275"> --> www.espn360.com . Fans can also listen to Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas live on the Badger Radio Network throughout Wisconsin, including 1310 AM here in Madison.
The Wisconsin men's basketball sportid=116"> --> Game Day page has all the links to follow the game including live stats, live audio stream and a radio affiliate listing. You can also find pre-game notes here .
Wisconsin owns a 4-1 record all-time against Texas including a thrilling 67-66 win last season in Austin, Texas in the most recent meeting. Last year, senior guard Michael Flowers drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to give UW a 67-66 lead with just 2.7 seconds remaining.
Following his 3-pointer, Flowers then cut in front of Texas' D.J. Augustine to steal the inbounds pass. He then threw the ball straight up in the air as he was falling out of bounds allowing the time to run out before the ball landed, giving UW the dramatic 67-66 win. Tonight's game has the potential to be just as exciting as last year 's as both teams will be expecting a knockdown, drag out matchup.
'It's gonna be a dog-fight,' said Marcus Landry, who had 14 points in last year's win over Texas. 'We need to pay attention to details and make sure we execute because they have good shooters and it's going to be physical. '
Wisconsin will look to defend the Kohl Center, a building that has been almost impenetrable for opponents. Since Bo Ryan took over in Madison, the Badgers are 15-4 at home against ranked teams.
The Badgers won the only previous match-up in Madison with a 61-45 decision in 1999. Texas' only win in the series came in a 71-58 win in the opening round of the 1996 NCAA tournament. UW owns an all-time record of 30-29 against teams in the Big XII conference.
Last Saturday, Wisconsin defeated Coppin State, 57-46, at the Kohl Center. UW used its size advantage to own the glass. A 36-19 rebounding cushion led to 17 second-chance points compared to zero for CSU. Sophomore Jon Leuer added 16 points off the bench en route to Wisconsin's victory.
Wisconsin is 8-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponents. Overall, UW owns a +5.7 rebounds-per-game advantage in 2008, which ranks second in the Big Ten. The Badgers know they will need to hit the boards hard tonight as rebounding will be a key factor against Texas.
"Texas really crashes the glass, especially on the offensive end,' Joe Krabbenhoft said. 'We really need to focus on attacking the boards, but also keeping them from getting offensive rebounds."
Texas enters tonight's game with an identical 9-2 record, coming off a loss to Michigan State last Saturday. Gary Johnson led the Longhorns scoring a career-high 20 points, but Michigan State's Durrell Summers nailed a 3-point basket with 18.6 seconds left to lift the 19th-ranked Spartans to a 67-63 win over the Longhorns.
After tonight's game, the Badgers will open up the Big Ten portion of their season on Tuesday, Dec. 31 when they travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN. Visit UWBadgers.com for the latest information.
