Marquette and Wisconsin will meet at the Kohl Center in Milwaukee on Saturday in a college basketball battle for bragging rights in the Badger State.
(A little alliteration never hurt anyone, right?)
Both teams come into this tilt ranked in the Top 25, with the Golden Eagles building up a 6-0 start on the backs of far lesser opponents and the Badgers nearly knocking off North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Where: Kohl Center - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
When: Saturday, December 3rd at 4:30 p.m. EST
Watch: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2GO.com
Listen: Badger Radio Network, 540 ESPN
What's at Stake
This game is all about bragging rights for these two teams. Sure, it's important for both to pick up a win over an out-of-conference opponent, especially for the benefit of their respective leagues.
But really, these schools are more concerned with capturing the heart of America's Dairyland. Marquette doesn't have an FBS football program, so this is the Golden Eagles' only chance to quiet their rivals in Madison on a big stage.
What They're Saying
Marquette may be the underdog in this rivalry, but the team won't let that cause any sort of in-game paralysis. Golden Eagles coach Buzz Williams spoke about the situation to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
This is what I grew up wanting to do. I think if you're a high-major player, you grow up wanting to do this. Not to be negative toward anybody from Wisconsin or Marquette, but high-major players want to play against high-major players. High-major coaches want to coach against high-major coaches.
Neither will the Badgers be intimidated by the spectacle, particularly star guard Jordan Taylor, who told Channel3000.com:
I am from Minnesota so I thought coming in the Wisconsin-Minnesota is the big rivalry. So, to come in and see how big of a rivalry Marquette was, it was actually kind of fun to get into it. And to be 3-1 in four years would be pretty good, so I want to win this one pretty bad.
Marquette Player to Watch: G Darius Johnson-Odom
The lineage of solid, experienced guards at Marquette continues with Darius Johnson-Odom. The 6'2" senior from Raleigh, North Carolina is playing like an All-American right now, scoring 19.8 points per game on 57.1 percent shooting from the field, including a whopping 46.7 percent from three-point range. The Golden Eagles will need DJO to put his deft touch to good use to stretch out 'Sconsin's stingy defense.
Wisconsin Player to Watch: G Jordan Taylor
Jordan Taylor may not be scoring like an All-American (12 points per game), but there's no doubt that he's still one of the best players in the country and the engine that makes Wisconsin's swing offense run smoothly. The senior's 4.9 rebounds and team-leading 5.6 assists will come in particularly handy for the Badgers in Milwaukee.
Key Matchup: Marquette's D vs. Wisconsin's Bigs
Year after year, the Badgers find themselves in the NCAA Tournament and among the best teams in college basketball on account of Bo Ryan's swing offense and its use of frontcourt players in backcourt roles. Jared Berggren has emerged as the Badgers' designated matchup nightmare this season, leading the team in scoring (12.6 points) and rebounding (5.3 boards per game).
If Marquette is to have any chance of winning this game, it'll need to disrupt the flow of Wisconsin's cooky scheme—no easy task for a Golden Eagles squad that doesn't exactly have the size to go toe-to-toe with their in-state rivals.
Prediction: Wisconsin 55, Marquette 47
The Badgers will keep this game slow and methodical—exactly how they like it—to oust Marquette and keep the state's basketball pride holed up in Madison.
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