The Basics

Where: The Kohl Center in Madison

When: Wednesday, December 14th; 8 p.m. CT

Channel: BTN

All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads 21-1

Last Meeting: Wisconsin won 84-79

Projected Starting Lineups

Green Bay Phoenix (4-5)

G Khalil Small- Jr. 6-2, 205 (11.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.7 apg)

G Trevor Anderson- Fr. 6-2, 180 (12.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.7 apg)

G Charles Cooper- Sr. 6-4, 220 (13.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.3 apg)

F Jamar Hurdle- Sr. 6-7, 200 (7.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .8 apg)

F Kenneth Lowe- Sr. 6-8, 230 (5.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Wisconsin Badgers (9-2)

G Bronson Koenig- Sr. 6-3, 190 (15.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 apg)

G Zak Showalter- Sr. 6-3, 185 (6.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg)

F Nigel Hayes- Sr. 6-8, 240 (12.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.5 apg)

F Vitto Brown- Sr. 6-8, 235 (7.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .9 apg)

C Ethan Happ- So. 6-10, 232 (13.5 ppg, 10 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Biggest Matchup: Nigel Hayes vs Whoever Guards Him

Regardless of which Green Bay player draws the assignment of guarding Hayes, the Badger star will have a mismatch. If Green Bay puts Jamar Hurdle on him, Hayes will have a 30 pound weight advantage. If they put Charles Cooper on him, he will have a four-inch height advantage. If they try to go zone, well, he will probably carve that up too. Just ask Syracuse.

So basically, Nigel Hayes should be able to dominate this game. He has been playing really well lately, and it would be nice to see him churn in two more solid performances before Big Ten play starts.

3 Numbers to Know

26– That is the amount of times Wisconsin turned the ball over against Green Bay in last season’s meeting. The Badgers could not handle the press, coughing the ball up 15 times in the last 13 minutes of the game. It will be interesting to see if the Phoenix will try to press in this game, and how the Badgers will handle it compared to last season.

2– That is the number of shots outside of the paint that Ethan Happ has attempted this season. It’s great that he doesn’t need to shoot outside shots to be an effective scorer, but if he were to add even the threat of a jump shot, it would make Wisconsin’s offense much more deadly. This is the perfect game to attempt a few more outside shots to get comfortable with it heading into Big Ten play.

3– That is the number of times Green Bay’s defense has surrendered 89 or more points this season. It is also the number of times Wisconsin’s offense has scored 89 or more points. With how bad Green Bay’s defense has been lately, and how good the Badger’s offense has been, that number may be about to change.

Prediction

Wisconsin has struggled with Green Bay in the past, but this is not an edition of the Phoenix that poses much of a threat. They struggle defensively, and don’t have a go-to scorer like they have had in past years. Meanwhile, Wisconsin is peaking on offense. They have been scoring at a super high level, and the Phoenix don’t have the size to put a stop to that.

Wisconsin 90, Green Bay 65