Which recent win streak will evaporate on Saturday?
Fresh off a 70-68 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Wisconsin Badgers are taking on the USC Trojans, with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m. at the Galen Center on Saturday.
Wisconsin’s win on Tuesday made it six straight and the fourth straight conference win, improving them to 14-3 on the year and 4-2 in Big Ten play.
The trio of John Tonje, John Blackwell, and Steven Crowl led the way with 17, 15, and 14 points, respectively, as Tonje had 10 free throws in the win, while Crowl was the go-to guy in the first half.
The Badgers found a way to win despite shooting 5/22 (22.7 percent) from three, and fended off a second-half push from the Buckeyes, who scored 48 points in the final frame alone.
Wisconsin now enters a matchup against an 11-6 USC team that has gone 3-3 in conference play, most recently beating the Illinois Fighting Illini 83-73 and the Iowa Hawkeyes 99-89 in back-to-back games.
They’re led by star guard Desmond Claude, who averages 16.4 points, while dishing out 4.2 assists per game and shooting 50.6 percent from the field.
USC’s entire starting core from the beginning of the season averages double figures, but they’ll potentially be without forward Terrence Williams for the remainder of the season with an injury.
The Badgers come into Monday as a 1.5-point underdog on the road. Can they get a seventh straight victory, or will USC continue their recent hot streak?