Now that IU surpassed the first round of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in the Tom Crean era, a tough Wisconsin team awaits in the second round. The fourth-seeded Badgers pulled out a 57-50 win against IU on Jan. 26 and come in having won three straight games.
IU's leading scorer in that game was Verdell Jones, who is likely to miss tomorrow's game with a "sprained" right knee. But the Hoosiers are familiar with playing without Jones. IU won at Purdue and at home against Illinois without Jones, both by double-digit margins.
Here's what to watch for tomorrow afternoon.
Matchup to watch: Cody Zeller vs. Jared Berggren
Berggren's length reeked all sorts of havoc in the team's first meeting. With the 6-foot-10 Berggren draped all over him, Zeller was held to seven points and three rebounds. Berggren has a track record of shutting down elite big men and did so in Wisconsin's 63-60 win at Ohio State when he held All-American Jared Sullinger to eight points.
Zeller has shown his maturation since then and rattled off 10 double-digit scoring efforts in his last 11 games. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year's ability to adjust to Berggren's length and get to the free-throw line could be a deciding factor.
IU x-factor: Remy Abell
Abell will likely see a significant boost in minutes in Jones' absence, which he has responded to in the past. Abell hit a critical three in IU's 78-61 at Purdue when Jones was sidelined with a shoulder injury.
The freshman will be relied on to handle the ball against a stifling Wisconsin defense. Wisconsin frustrates even some of the most mature upperclassmen ball handlers. Abell will need to embody the fast-paced tempo IU wants to establish without forcing bad passes and shots. That's probably easier said than done.
Wisconsin x-factor: Ben Brust
The streaky shooting sophomore has shown the ability to hit big shots, which is exactly what he did against IU in the first meeting. Brust led all scorers with 13 points and hit multiple big three-pointers down the stretch.
Brust always comes off the Wisconsin bench ready to fire, which has hurt him in several Big Ten games. But the sophomore guard has some of the deepest range in the Big Ten and he can make teams pay if they choose to back off him.
Because Brust comes off the bench, it's hard to say who will matchup against him. But if Crean doesn't have a gameplan for Brust, IU's run in the Big Ten Tournament could be short-lived.
