The Badgers have an underrated challenge coming to the Kohl Center on Tuesday.
The Wisconsin Badgers, who fell to no. 21 in Monday’s AP Poll, return to the Kohl Center to face off against the Indiana Hoosiers. Tip-off is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:00 P.M. CT on Peacock, with the Badgers being a 9.5-point favorite.
The Wisconsin Badgers captured a much-needed 75-69 win in a back-and-forth tussle with Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena last Saturday. Despite falling behind 31-25 at halftime, the Badgers exploded for 50 points in the second half.
While John Tonje dominated the stat sheet with 27 points on 8-for-18 shooting, this was the Carter Gilmore game. The walk-on from Arrowhead High School in Hartland had his best game ever as a Badger, finishing with 15 points, all in the second half, and seven rebounds.
What should Badger fans know about the Indiana Hoosiers?
Opponent Preview
No coach in the Big Ten has a hotter seat than Mike Woodson. The Hoosiers are 14-8 on the season but come to Madison with a 5-6 conference record. The main culprit for Indiana’s struggles has given defense, as the Hoosiers’ 73.5 opponents’ points per game are the third-worst in the Big Ten.
Indiana’s biggest commitment (literally) in the transfer portal was Arizona’s big man, Oumar Ballo. The seven-foot center from Mali is averaging a team-best 14.5 points per game and is one of the best rebounders in the nation. Ballo’s 10 rebounds per game, including a conference-leading 3.4 offensive boards per game, is tied for first in the Big Ten and 13th in the country. Last season in the Wildcats, Ballo finished with 15 points and nine rebounds against Wisconsin on December 9th, 2023.
Former McDonald’s All-American Mackenzie Mgbako is Indiana’s second-leading scorer with 13.1 points but has averaged 20.3 points per game in his last three games. Mgbako scored 25 points on 10-of-17 shots in Indiana’s 81-76 loss at Purdue on January 31st.
Malik Reneau, who missed time due to a knee injury against Rutgers on January 2nd, is averaging 12.5 points per game. Since Reneau returned on January 22nd, he has not been the same scorer and is coming off a terrible three-point performance against Purdue.
Fifth-year senior Trey Galloway leads the Hoosiers with 4.2 assists per game, tied for eighth in the Big Ten. Galloway has come off the bench in the last four games, while another fifth-year senior, Anthony Leal, has started in Galloway’s place for Indiana. Finally, former Washington State star Myles Rice is averaging 11.5 points and leads the Hoosiers with 1.1 steals per game.
Score Prediction
Despite their mediocre conference record, this Indiana team can give Wisconsin problems if they can get Ballo involved in their offense. While the Hoosiers gave an admirable effort at a hostile Mackey Arena last Friday, Mike Woodson’s team has lost five of six. Indiana has the talent to win in Madison, but the question will be where their minds will be.
Indiana last defeated Wisconsin at the Kohl Center on January 25th, 1998. Look for the Hoosiers’ losing streak in Madison to continue Tuesday.
Prediction: Wisconsin 84-74.