The 24th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers look to get back on track when they welcome the rival Iowa Hawkeyes to the Kohl Center on Sunday, February 22nd. Tip-off is at 3:00 PM on Fox Sports 1, and the Badgers are 2.5-point favorites.
The Badgers return to Madison after an embarrassing performance against the Ohio State Buckeyes, losing 86-69 in a game in which they were never completely locked in. Greg Gard stated that Wisconsin “didn’t have the same fight” as they showed against Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan State.
Advertisement
What should Badger fans know about the Iowa Hawkeyes?
Opponent Preview
After bringing in a handful of transfers from Drake University, first-year Iowa head coach Ben McCollum has established the Hawkeyes as one of the best defensive teams in the Big Ten. Iowa, which comes into this game with a 19-7 overall record, allows a meager 64.4 points per game, tops in the conference. It’s a complete 180 turnaround from their previous hot-headed head coach.
For Iowa, it begins and ends with guard Bennett Stirtz. The Drake transfer is third in the Big Ten, scoring 20.5 points per game, and leads the Hawkeyes with 4.6 assists per game. Stirtz has been a scoring machine since arriving in Iowa City, scoring 10+ points in all but two games this season. Against ninth-ranked Nebraska, Stirtz led the Hawkeyes to an upset over the Cornhuskers with a 25-point performance and two clutch blocks. It is imperative that the Badgers find a way to shut down Stirtz on Sunday.
Advertisement
If there is one weakness to this Hawkeyes squad, it is that they do not have a second go-to scorer. Iowa’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, guard Tavion Banks, averages only 10.7 points per game. The Hawkeyes also look to get more production out of their third starting guard, Kael Combs, who averages 5.6 points. 2.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
In the frontcourt are Drake transfer Cam Manyawu and returning forward Cooper Koch. The 6-foot-9 Manyawu is Iowa’s second-leading rebounder with 4.4 rebounds per game and leading shotblocker at 0.6 blocks per game. Koch averages 6.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game in 26 starts this season.
Score Prediction
Last season, Kamari McGee stated that Iowa “didn’t want to play defense” in the 116-85 blowout win. That’s not this Hawkeyes team, and if Wisconsin goes through cold stretches scoring the ball, this Iowa team will grind out a win.
Advertisement
On the other hand, the Badgers boast a big three of Nick Boyd, Nolan Winter, and John Blackwell that can force Iowa to pick their poison. If the Badgers’ offense returns to normal and Wisconsin’s defense can contain Stirtz, then the good guys will be in a solid position to win this game.
Prediction: Wisconsin 77-71
