Indiana Hoosiers Gameday: An Up Close Look at the Wisconsin Badgers

Thursday night at 8:00 PM CST, the Indiana Hoosiers (16-4, 4-4 Big Ten) travel to Madison, WI to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (16-5, 5-3 Big Ten).

Like most of the Big Ten, Indiana hasn't fared well in the Kohl Center since Bo Ryan took over. The Hoosiers haven't had much luck in any venue against the Badgers over the past few years; they are 0-8 in their last eight contests against Wisconsin, home or away. Wisconsin has been more vulnerable on their home floor than in years past, already losing games to Marquette, Iowa and Michigan State.

However, the Badgers have been hot as of late, winning each of their last four games in Big Ten play. Much of Wisconsin's improved play as of late can be attributed to Jordan Taylor. The Badgers' senior leader has returned to form over the last couple of weeks. In his last four games, Taylor is averaging just over 16 points per game and has 16 assists to just three turnovers in that time period.

As is the usual, Wisconsin has a number of players that can beat you on any given night. But where the Badgers normally rely on an inside-out game from their forwards, this year's lineup is more guard oriented than in years past.

Ryan Evans is someone that can get hot on any given night. The 6'7" wing has a very good mid-range game and is dangerous off the dribble, but he's someone you can sag off of and dare to shoot from outside.

Jared Berggren is their banger inside. The 6'10" junior is averaging 11 points and five rebounds per contest this season. Expect to see him used on a lot of high ball screens for Jordan Taylor trying to get some action towards the basket.

The interesting match-ups in this game for Indiana will come in the form of Josh Gasser and Ben Brust. Both Wisconsin guards are dangerous three-point shooters, but are quick enough to get by you if their shots are contested to closely.

All of these players can get hot and beat you, but this game is going to be determined by how Indiana guards Jordan Taylor. Victor Oladipo stepped up his defense in the second half against Penn State's Tim Frazier, but he's going to need to put together a full game against Taylor on Thursday night. The fact of the matter is sometimes it doesn't matter how well you guard Jordan Taylor. If he's hot, he's going to beat you, as Indiana fans can remember from his 38 point performance in Assembly Hall last season.

The offensive game plan is always the same when you travel to Wisconsin—try and speed them up and set the pace. It's a plan that very few teams have been able to execute over the last decade. The Badgers have held their opponents to 39.4 percent shooting since the start of Big Ten season. They also average the least amount of possessions per 40 minutes in the conference. The Hoosiers will have to be very effective from the three-point line to win this game, meaning Jordan Hulls, Matt Roth and Christian Watford will be important components in the game.

It's tough to feel great about Indiana's chances judging by their play on the road since conference games began. Wisconsin is susceptible to off-shooting nights and have been very streaky offensively this season. The Hoosiers seemed to get a little of their edge back against Penn State on Sunday, and they need to bring that to Madison.

I believe Indiana will be able to keep this in striking distance for most of the game, but they haven't done enough to prove to me that they can win a close one in an environment like the Kohl Center. I think this will be anyone's game with 7-8 minutes to play, but ultimately Wisconsin will pull away down the stretch.

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