Greg Gard is not a fan of overly hyping specific games on the regular-season schedule.
“We never talk about where somebody’s ranked – good, bad, indifferent,” the 11th-year Wisconsin head coach said.
Gard acknowledged his approach may “sound boring.”
“Why wouldn’t you crank them up more for this than that?” Gard said. “Because if I crank them up for Illinois, then what do I have to do Friday night for Michigan State. If I crank them up Friday night, what do I got to do Tuesday or Wednesday or whenever we go to Columbus.”
That worked out when the Badgers won, 92-90, against then-No. 7 Illinois and again, 92-71, against then-No. 10 Michigan State. They will go for a third Quad 1 win in a row against Ohio State on Feb. 17.
It will be a rematch of Wisconsin’s 92-82 win over Ohio State on Jan. 31 at the Kohl Center. Here are three things to watch as the Badgers visit the Schottenstein Center:
How does Ohio State adjust following John Mobley Jr.’s injury?
Ohio State appears to be without one of its top guards for the rematch against the Badgers.
John Mobley Jr. will be out “indefinitely” with a hand injury and “expected to return this season,” the team said in a statement on social media on Feb. 14.
The sophomore guard has been second on the Buckeyes with 15.1 points per game, and his 40% shooting from 3-point range has been the best among Buckeyes with at least 40 attempts.
Wisconsin did get the better of Mobley in the last matchup, limiting him to nine points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-8 shooting from the perimeter.
With Mobley out of the picture now, the UW defense can theoretically turn more attention to Bruce Thornton and others in the backcourt. Thornton had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting against the Badgers on Jan. 31 at the Kohl Center.
Will Wisconsin be better on the defensive boards?
Wisconsin recently showed its ability to compete on the boards with some of the most physically-imposing foes in the Big Ten. The Badgers remarkably owned a 14-8 advantage in offensive rebounding over Illinois on Feb. 10.
That’s despite the Fighting Illini having the tallest team at the Division I level, according to KenPom. Brad Underwood’s group ranks sixth in the country in offensive rebounding rate, and its opponents have the 30th-lowest offensive rebounding rate.
But Wisconsin was not quite as fierce on the boards in its most recent game against Ohio State. UW allowed Ohio State to grab 14 offensive rebounds – tied for the most by any opponent this season – on Jan. 31 at the Kohl Center.
The Buckeyes had an overall rebounding advantage of 37-35 despite missing 11 more field goals than the Badgers did.
Do Wisconsin’s perimeter shooters find their rhythm early?
Perimeter shooting will be something to watch in seemingly every game for Wisconsin. When the Badgers hit at least 13 3-pointers, they are 11-0. When they hit 12 or fewer 3-pointers, they are 7-7.
But it is especially notable against Ohio State, which held UW to 9-of-26 shooting (34.6%) from the perimeter on Jan. 31. (That’s not an aberration for Ohio State’s defense either, as the Buckeyes rank 56th nationally and sixth in the 18-team Big Ten in 3-point defense at 31.1%.)
Wisconsin’s perimeter shooting numbers last time against Ohio State by itself are quite respectable. Its 34.6% against Ohio State outpaces roughly half of Big Ten teams’ season averages. It is a far cry, though, from the 44.4% and 42.9% shooting from 3-point range that fueled UW’s upsets over Illinois and Michigan State.
The Badgers have overcome several double-digit deficits this season, including an 11-point deficit against the Buckeyes. But a continuation of hot outside shooting could help UW avoid that undesirable scenario in the first place.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 3 things to watch as Wisconsin basketball has rematch at Ohio State
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
