After losing three consecutive games– all on the road– Penn State was back in the Bryce Jordan Center Monday night against Iowa and got back to its winning ways in perhaps the most dramatic triumph of the season. The Lions beat the Hawkeyes in double overtime.
Now, Micah Shrewsberry’s squad will hit the road again, challenging itself against a top 15 team in the Wisconsin Badgers.
Wisconsin is coming off an 80-67 loss at Illinois but is still 17-4 and 8-3 in the Big Ten. Its point guard, Johnny Davis, is in the running for Big Ten Player of the Year. The projected first-round NBA draft pick averages 21.4 points per game, good for third in the Big Ten, and also pitches in 8.3 rebounds.
Brad Davidson (15.2 PPG) and Tyler Wahl (11 PPG) also contributed to the Badgers. Despite Davis and Davidson’s scoring ability, Wisconsin ranks just tenth in the Big Ten in scoring average, which is still better than Penn State, which ranks last. Penn State and Wisconsin are fifth and sixth in the Big Ten in scoring defense, respectively, so offensive fireworks might be lacking tonight.
Penn State is 3-18 all-time against the Badgers and 0-8 in Madison. Wisconsin comes into this game as 8.5 point favorites according to the latest college basketball odds. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, and Penn State fans who can’t watch the game can listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi on and of these affiliates.
