Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-6, 2-2) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (9-8, 2-2)

Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018 - 7:30 p.m.

Pinnacle Bank Arena

TV: BTN

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: BTN2GO

1. Hold down Happ

It’s no secret what the No. 1 key to beating Wisconsin is this season, as it all starts and ends with Ethan Happ. The 6-foot-10 junior not only leads the Badgers in scoring, rebounds, and assists as a power forward, he’s also widely regarded as one of, if not the best big man in the Big Ten Conference. With the toll injuries have taken on UW this year, it’s had to rely on Happ even more than expected. He’s certainly held up his end of the bargain statistically, and the Huskers must make life as difficult on his as possible tonight.

2. Rebound, rebound, rebound

Nebraska has struggled on the glass all season, currently ranking dead last in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at -2.0. Against a Wisconsin team that, outside of Happ, has really struggled to score (ranking last in the league at 69.6 points per game), the Huskers cannot bail out the Badgers with second-chance points. To put it simply, this game will feature the worst offensive rebounding team in the league in Wisconsin against the worst defensive rebounding team in Nebraska. Whichever team wins that area of the game will have a good chance to come away with a victory.

3. Come out firing

Given Wisconsin’s struggles offensively, it’s a safe bet that the Badgers are going to do all they can to slow this game down, operate everything out of the half court, and try to let Happ go to work one-on-one in the post. Defensively, UW is going to try and limit any transition opportunities for Nebraska and make the Huskers win with jump shots on the perimeter. This is where defensive rebounding becomes so important, as NU needs to get out and run and rack up some fastbreak points. The uglier this game gets, the more it favors Wisconsin.

Nebraska 71-67

Robin's season record: 14-3

vs. the spread: 9-8