Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-11, 2-5) at Wisconsin Badgers (11-7, 4-3)

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019 - 8 p.m. CT

Kohl Center

TV: BTN

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: Fox Sports App

1. Dictate the pace

You're not going to find more polar opposites in terms of style of play than Nebraska and Wisconsin. The Huskers want to run and play with tempo. The Badgers want to slow the game down to a snail's pace. Coming into tonight's game, NU ranks 40th nationally in adjusted tempo (possessions per 40 minutes) at 71.7 and 13th in average offensive possession length at just 15.3 seconds. Wisconsin, on the other hand, ranks 351st (60.2) and 348th (20.2) in those categories, respectively. Nebraska has to push the pace as much as possible in order to play to their strength in transition.

2. Get stops and don't foul

Tonight will pit the Big Ten's lowest scoring offense against the league's worst scoring defense, and something's got to give. Wisconsin is averaging 66.5 points per game while Nebraska is giving up 74.8 a contest. However, those numbers are a bit skewed due to the respective styles of play. The Huskers give up a lot of points because opponents get a lot of possessions, while the Badgers don't score much but operate at an pretty efficient rate. UW ranks 49th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency at 108.2 points scored per 100 possessions. It also is as good as anyone at capitalizing at the free-throw line, leading the Big Ten and ranking 17th in the country in team free-throw percentage at 77.2. For Nebraska to play with pace, it has to get stops and make Wisconsin's offense have to keep up.

3. Attack the rim, but be smart

Nebraska needs to find the right balance of being aggressive in taking the ball to the rim while also making smart plays. The Huskers are obviously one of the smallest teams in the Big Ten, but some poor decision making in trying to force the issue at the basket has magnified that disadvantage. Conference opponents are averaging a whopping 6.1 blocked shots per game on NU this season, including an average of 7.3 over the past three outings. Wisconsin doesn't block a lot of shots as a team but does have 6-11 center Nate Reuvers, who ranks fifth in the league with 2.1 bpg. Nebraska has to do a better job of knowing when to attack and when to kick it out.

Wisconsin 71, Nebraska 63

Robin's 2019-20 record: 10-8

vs. the spread: 8-10