MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team hits the road again for the first of two Big Ten matchups this week. The Badgers are set to face the Buckeyes on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on FS1.
Before the Badgers tip, here is the Starting Five:
1. LAST TIME OUT: Chucky Hepburn scored 15 points, while Max Klesmit added 12 points and eight rebounds after missing two games due to injury, but Wisconsin suffered a 61-51 loss against Illinois on Saturday at the Kohl Center.
2. BEHIND THE ARC: UW is averaging 8.5 made 3-pointers per game, which ranks second in the Big Ten this season. Individually, Chucky Hepburn and Connor Essegian rank first and fifth, respectively, in the Big Ten this season for 3-point shooting percentage, both shooting over 40 percent.
3. HEPBURN RISING: Over the last 10 games, Hepburn is averaging 12.2 points, 3.9 assists (1.5 turnovers) and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting an impressive 48.8 percent from 3-point range. Hepburn is also finding success defensively, as he ranks fourth in Big Ten play this season averaging 1.8 steals per game.4. SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES: Ohio State is led by freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh, who is averaging 17.6 points per game. Two other Ohio State players are scoring in double digits – Justice Sueing (12.6 ppg) and Zed Key (11.9 ppg). The Buckeyes rank third in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 76.7 points per contest.
5. HISTORY WITH OHIO STATE: Wisconsin trails the all-time series between the two programs, 76-94. The most recent meeting between the two took place in Madison, where UW came out victorious, 78-68, in January of 2022. Tyler Wahl scored 20 points and dished out a season-high six assist in the matchup, while Steven Crowl scored nine points and grabbed seven boards.
COURTESY WISCONSIN ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
