The Matchup: No. 16 Wisconsin at No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha
When: Friday March 1st, Saturday March 2nd
Where: CenturyLink Center, Omaha, NE
Ice Sheet: 200' x 85'
TV: Friday – NBC Sports Network; Saturday – None
Radio: WIBA-1310 AM
All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads 6-3-0
Last Meeting: Wisconsin W, 6-3
Following a bad stumble against Penn State on Monday the Badgers turn around and must play four days later in a huge series that has great implications for the WCHA title race and for playoff seeding as well. These two teams will play each other for the final time as members of the same conference, but it may not be the final time they end up playing as UW could see UNO on their schedules in the future as well.
There's no doubt about the reality the Badgers face – They must win out to even come close to having a shot at making the NCAA tournament and that won't be an easy task at all. So, can they remain focused and keep calm enough to win out? Let's explore the series against the Mavericks.
About Nebraska-Omaha:
Record: 18-12-2 (14-8-2 WCHA, 30 points)
Head Coach: Dean Blais – 4th year at UNO, 73-62-13 record at UNO
Notable: Friday night will be Breast Cancer Awareness night at the arena and this will also be Senior weekend for the Mavericks. The Mavericks played an exhibition series last weekend against the USA U18 National Team, losing 3-2 on Saturday. Blais is a familiar foe for the Badgers as he coached North Dakota for 10 years from 1994-95 to 2003-04.
Statistics:
Points: Ryan Walters – 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists)
Goals: Ryan Walters – 19 goals
Assists: Ryan Walters – 26 assists
Save Pct.: Dayn Belfour – .911
GAA: Dayn Belfour – 2.17gaa
About Wisconsin:
Record: 14-11-7 (10-7-7 WCHA, 27 points)
Head Coach: Mike Eaves, 11th season – 223-165-51 record
Notable: This is the Badgers last road series during the regular season and they are currently 6-2-4 on the road this season and one win will assure them of a winning record for the year away from the Kohl Center. They also currently have a better record on the road than at home to date.
Statistics:
Points: Michael Mersch – 26 points (17 goals, 9 assists)
Goals: Michael Mersch – 17 goals
Assists: Derek Lee – 18 assists
Save Pct.: Joel Rumpel – .934
GAA: Joel Rumpel – 1.82gaa
Quick Analysis:
This will be a complete clash of styles once again as the Badgers high powered defense, one that gives up only 2 goals a game goes up against a Mavericks offense that averages 3.5 goals a game. UNO's offense is 2nd in the nation but is going against the 5th best defensive unit in the nation. Something obviously has to give.
On the flip side, a less than stellar Badgers offense (2.3 goals a game, 50th nationally) is going up against a defense that's less than stellar as well (2.8 goals a game against, tied for 30th nationally). However, last weekend the Badgers offense managed to sustain a lot of pressure on Penn State, recording their two highest shots on goal outputs of the season. Clearly they'll need to sustain that effort if they want to win against UNO.
UNO's offense features three players that have more than 30 points this season and it will be important to keep the likes of wingers Walters and White on the outside. Teams get into major trouble when these two are able to move down low and cause havoc.
With this being the first meeting between these two this year it's tough to tell which version of these teams will show up. However, you have to expect the Badgers to be motivated to play well following Monday's terrible results. Sure, the numbers aren't in the Badgers favor, but you can never underestimate the will of teams that want to erase a bad memory.
Prediction: Friday – Wisconsin 4, UNO 3; Saturday UNO 5, Wisconsin 2
While it would be nice to see Wisconsin win both of these games and vault up the standings, realistically I just can't trust this team to be consistent enough to do anything we as fans would want them to do. I'll be pleasantly surprised if my prediction holds up to say the least.
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