Oral Roberts at 12 Wisconsin Game Preview

Tonight at 7:30pm on the Big Ten Network, the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (2-0, 0-0 Southland) visit the Kohl Center in Madison to take on the 12 Wisconsin Badgers (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) as part of the Cancun Challenge. Oral Roberts enters this game after being defeated at Saint Louis 72-55 in their opening game of the Cancun Challenge on Thursday night. ORU took a 31-28 lead into halftime, but was outscored 44-24 in the second half en route to a blowout loss. Shawn Glover led the team with 18 points. Obi Emegano leads the team with an average of 19 points per game, and Korey Billbury is the team leader in rebounds with 8.5 per game. Wisconsin enters this contest after starting the season 5-0, with their latest triumph being an 88-64 decision over Bowling Green on Thursday night in their opening game of the Cancun Challenge. Ben Brust led the team with 19 points, as the Badgers scored 44 points in each half on their way to the victory. After scoring a Wisconsin single-game record with 43 points on Tuesday night in a win at home against North Dakota, and a strong follow-up performance on Thursday night, Frank Kaminsky leads the Badgers with 16.6 points per game, as Brust leads the team with 6 rebounds a game. This should be an exciting game, as the Golden Eagles give up on average 69 points per game, while the Badgers score to the tune of 81 points per game. Look for Wisconsin's offense to test the ORU's defense. Even though they are known for their methodical offense under Bo Ryan, I think that the Badgers will continue to score at a blistering pace and win this game easily at home.

12 Minnesota at Wisconsin Game Preview

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Today at 1pm on the Big Ten Network, the 12 Minnesota Golden Gophers 15-4 (3-3) travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers 13-6 (4-2). Minnesota enters the Kohl Center with a three game losing streak in the conference after opening up to a 3-0 conference start. Their latest loss was a 55-48 defeat at Northwestern on Wednesday night. They are led by Andre Hollins, who is leading the team in points with 13.8 points per game. They have gone cold shooting so far in the last three conference games and hope to retain the shooting ability that Trevor Mbakwe and Andre Holllins possess. Wisconsin started last week with a win at then number 2 Indiana, but lost on the road at Iowa last Saturday and then dropped a 49-47 defeat at the hands of 13 Michigan State on Tuesday night. Jared Berggren leads the Badgers in points with a 12.5 per game clip. Ben Brust is the leader of the team and he has some big range from downtown and if the Gophers extend their defense, it could lead to a big game for Berggren. Look for this heated rivalry to get physical and close, but I think that the homecourt of the Badgers will get them back on track.

12 Illinois at Wisconsin Game Preview

Today at 1:15pm on the Big Ten Network, the 12 ranked Illinois Fighting Illini 14-3 (1-2) visit the Kohl Center to take on the Wisconsin Badgers 11-4 (2-0). Illinois comes into this game having lost 2 of their first 3 Big Ten games after going 13-1 in nonconference play. Their only Big Ten win so far was a 74-55 win at home against a ranked Ohio State team. They opened conference play with a loss at unranked Purdue, and lost on Wednesday at home against number 9 Minnesota. Their leading scorer is Brandon Paul, who is averaging  18.6 points per game. He has scored in double figures in every game this season, including seven 20 point games this season. Wisconsin comes into this game having won their first two conference game this season, with a home win against Penn State on January 3 and a road win at Nebraska on Sunday. They are led by Jared Berggren, who is leading the team with 13.3 points per game. The Badgers have three players averaging in double figures. Wisconsin is very good at home against Bo Ryan, and I think they will go to 3-0 in the tough Big Ten with a huge confidence boosting win today.