When: 3:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Kohl Center
TV: BTN, with Kevin Kugler and Robbie Hummel
Radio: 1310 AM and 101.5 FM, with Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas
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Get ready as No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers prepare to host No. 21 Minnesota Golden Gophers
Wisconsin State Journal reporter Jim Polzin breaks down the Big Ten matchup between the sixth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers and the 21st-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers Thursday afternoon at the Kohl Center in Madison.
NO. 6 UW VS. NO. 21 MINNESOTA
BADGERS (8-2, 2-1)
Coach: Greg Gard, 109-59 in his fifth season at UW.
Player to watch: Senior forward Aleem Ford (above) has reached double figures in scoring in each of his past four games. He finished with 10 points in UW’s 70-64 home loss to Maryland on Monday.
PROBABLE UW STARTERS
| No. | Name | Ht. | Year | PPG |
| 35 | Nate Reuvers | 6-11 | Sr. | 10.3 |
| 2 | Aleem Ford | 6-8 | Sr. | 9.6 |
| 11 | Micah Potter (above) | 6-10 | Sr. | 12.2 |
| 0 | D'Mitrik Trice | 6-0 | Sr. | 14.2 |
| 34 | Brad Davison | 6-4 | Sr. | 10.6 |
KEY BADGERS RESERVES
| No. | Name | Ht. | Year | PPG |
| 1 | Jonathan Davis | 6-5 | Fr. | 7.8 |
| 5 | Tyler Wahl (above) | 6-9 | So. | 4.7 |
| 12 | Trevor Anderson | 6-3 | Sr. | 4.1 |
YOU SHOULD KNOW
UW has finished above Minnesota in the Big Ten standings for 22 consecutive seasons. … Trevor Anderson (above) is 8 of 9 from 3-point range this season. He went 2 of 2 vs. Maryland. … After going 2 of 6 from the free throw line vs. the Terrapins, Wahl is now shooting 56% from the line (14 of 25) on the season. … Brad Davison is 0 of 3 from the free throw line in UW’s two losses this season and 30 of 33 in its eight wins.
GOLDEN GOPHERS (9-1, 2-1)
Coach: Richard Pitino, 136-109 in his eighth season at Minnesota.
Player to watch: Junior guard Marcus Carr (above) is third in the Big Ten in scoring and leads the conference with 6.1 assists per game. He had 19 points and five assists in the Gophers’ 81-56 home win over No. 17 Michigan State on Monday.
PROBABLE MINNESOTA STARTERS
| No. | Name | Ht. | Year | PPG |
| 23 | Brandon Johnson | 6-8 | Sr. | 8.6 |
| 11 | Both Gach | 6-6 | Jr. | 11.7 |
| 0 | Liam Robbins | 7-0 | Jr. | 13.1 |
| 5 | Marcus Carr | 6-2 | Jr. | 24.0 |
| 22 | Gabe Kalscheur (above) | 6-4 | Jr. | 9.3 |
KEY GOPHERS RESERVES
| No. | Name | Ht. | Year | PPG |
| 4 | Jamal Mashburn (above) | 6-2 | Fr. | 4.7 |
| 24 | Eric Curry | 6-9 | Sr. | 4.7 |
| 1 | Tre' Williams | 6-5 | So. | 3.8 |
| 35 | Isaiah Ihnen | 6-9 | So. | 3.1 |
YOU SHOULD KNOW
Liam Robbins (above), a transfer from Drake, leads the Gophers with 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. … Brandon Johnson, a transfer from Western Michigan, is shooting 47.8% from 3-point range. He went 8-for-9 from beyond the arc in a 102-95 overtime win over Iowa on Dec. 25. … Minnesota is playing on the road for only the second time this season. It dropped a 92-65 decision at Illinois on Dec. 15.
Jim Polzin | Wisconsin State Journal
Jim Polzin covers Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball for the Wisconsin State Journal.
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