Northwestern
15-14Â (6-10)
Game Coverage
Thursday, Feb. 22Â |Â 6Â p.m. (CT)Â |Â Allstate Arena
MADISON, Wis. — Winners of three of the last four, Wisconsin travels to Rosemont, Illinois to take on Northwestern on Thursday. The Badgers have won five of their last six games at Northwestern. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2.
Up next, UW will host No. 2 Michigan State for Senior Day on Sunday and honor graduating players Matt Ferris, Aaron Moesch and T.J. Schlundt.
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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW: NORTHWESTERN
1. GARD IN CONTROL:Â With a record of 55-34 (.618), Greg Gard owns the third-highest win percentage in school history (min. 60 games) behind Hall of Famers Bo Ryan (.737) and Walter Meanwell (.712).
2. TOP-10 TAKEDOWNS: With the win over No. 6 Purdue, Greg Gard improved to 6-5 vs. teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll, giving him six wins over top-10 squads in just three seasons at the helm. Hall of Fame coach Bo Ryan didn't record his sixth win over a top-10 opponent until his ninth season at Wisconsin (2009), going 6-18 vs. the AP Top 10 over that span.
3. FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH:Â Wisconsin has one of the least experienced rosters in college basketball. The average experience level is 1.01 years. Only 20 of the 351 teams in the nation are younger. The Badgers' talented freshman class has accounted for 36.0% of the team's scoring this season.
4. COMING TO THE DEFENSE:Â Over the last two games, Wisconsin held Purdue (-29.5) and Minnesota (-13.5) to an average of 21.5 points below their season scoring averages.
5. UNPARALLELED SUCCESS:Â Wisconsin has enjoyed the greatest streak of sustained success in Big Ten history, boasting a winning conference record in each of the last 17 seasons.
ALL-TIME vs. NORTHWESTERN
Thursday's game will be the 181st meeting between Wisconsin and Northwestern in a series that dates back to 1910.
- UW leads the all-time series between the schools, 115-65.
- Wisconsin has won 15 of the last 20 against the Wildcats overall, but NU won an earlier match-up this season, 60-52, at the Kohl Center. The Badgers have won 5 of their last 6 trips to Evanston.
- Since 1942, UW and NU have played in 4 different venues in Chicago, including Chicago Stadium, Depaul's Alumni Hall, the United Center and Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Badgers have never played in Allstate Arena.
- Each of UW's last 8 victories over NU have come by at least 15 points and by an average of 23.5 points. The Badgers have held Northwestern to 70 or fewer points for 37 consecutive games.
- A total of 12 players on UW's current roster have seen action against Northwestern, lead by Ethan Happ who has averaged 12.8 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 4 career meetings.
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LAST TIME OUT
WISCONSIN 73, MINNESOTA 63 (OT)
Feb. 19, 2018 | Kohl Center | Madison, Wis.
- Wisconsin won its eighth-straight over Minnesota, pulling out a 73-63 overtime win Monday at the Kohl Center
- In erasing a seven-point deficit, UW held the Gophers to just one field goal over the final 5:57 of regulation and overtime - a span of 10:57
- UW matched a season-high with 12 3-pointers, going 12-for-29 from downtown
- Junior Ethan Happ scored 10 points (all in the second half), including the game-tying basket with 5.2 seconds remaining. He also added four rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three steals.
- Sophomore Brevin Pritzl scored a career-high 20 points, going 6-for-9 from 3-point range
- Freshman Brad Davison played a career-high 44 minutes and finished with 19 points (5-8 3FGs), four boards, two assists and four steals. Junior Khalil Iverson grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.
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COMPLETE GAME NOTES
For complete game notes,
click here.
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