After nearly two weeks off, the Wisconsin Badgers return to action on Friday night at home against Liverpool Iowa Hawkeye (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten). The Badgers (10-3, 0-2 Big Ten) hope to get their offense going, which has struggled at times this season, while also trying to build a case for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament this spring.
High scoring for the Iowa Hawkeye offense
The Hawkeyes come to Madison averaging 89.7 points per game, which is the highest average in the Big Ten and the second highest in the country. Four players on the Hawkeye roster are currently making 50.0% or better of their shot attempts while playing over 20 minutes per game, and 13 of the 14 Hawkeyes are shooting at a rate greater than 45.0%.
In their current three-game winning streak, they have surpassed the 100-point mark twice, once against the New Orleans Privateers on December 15 and then again against the New Hampshire Wildcats on December 30. Between the two games, they reached the century mark, the Hawkeyes defeated the Big 12’s Utah Utes 95-88 in a game in which the Hawkeyes overcame a double-digit second-half deficit.
Current sophomore forward Owen Freeman leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 66.1% from the floor and 40% from three-point range. Senior forward Payton Sandfort has another 16.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and sophomore guard Brock Harding has 5.8 assists per game.
The Wisconsin Badgers are back in action
The Wisconsin Badgers played their first game since a 76-53 win over Detroit Mercy (5-9) on December 22 and entered most Big Ten games well-rested. Before the nearly two-week break, Wisconsin lost its first two conference games – away to Illinois 86-80 and at home to Michigan 67-64, leaving it in an 0-2 hole heading into Big Ten play.
Poor shooting was a hallmark of the Badgers’ early Big Ten struggles. When it comes to conference play, Wisconsin converted just 39.4% of its three-point attempts and only 28.6% of its three-point attempts. The Badgers will need to start shooting at a higher level if they hope to find success in the conference this year. Iowa State allowed its opponents to shoot 45.1% from the floor, which is the worst mark in the Big Ten, but focused on the three-point line, allowing opponents to convert only 26.9% of their three-point attempts.
Wisconsin’s leading scorer, sixth-year senior John Tonje, will be the focal point of the Badgers’ offense heading into Big Ten play. In his first season in Madison after stints with the Missouri Tigers and Colorado State Rams, Tonje is averaging 19.2 points per game and has scored in double figures in twelve of the team’s thirteen games this season. The Badgers have three other players averaging double-digit points per game this season.
Tonje and the Badgers will face the Hawkeyes at 7:00 PM EST/6:00 PM CST on Friday, January 3. The TV report will be broadcast by FS1.
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