Indiana at Wisconsin (preview): Hoosiers face difficult road game without Devan Dumes.

Wisconsin Badgers
Current record: 18-6 (8-4)
Current RPI: 41
Current Sagarin: 12
Current Pomeroy: 5
2008-09 record: 19-11 (10-8), lost to Xavier in second round of NCAA Tournament
2008-09 RPI: 45
2008-09 Sagarin: 29
2008-09 Pomeroy: 29
Series: IU leads 94-59
Last IU win: 1/31/2007 (71-66 in Bloomington)
Last Wisconsin win: 3/8/2009 (85-61 in Bloomington)
Last IU win in Madison: 1/25/1998 (69-59)
Pomeroy scouting report
TV: 2 pm Saturday, BTN

Blog: Bucky's Fifth Quarter

Indiana travels to the Kohl Center in Madison, one of the Big Ten toughest venues, to play the Wisconsin Badgers tomorrow.  IU hasn't won at the Kohl Center since 1998 (the second-longest road drought for the Hoosiers after Michigan State, where IU lost won in 1991), and is if the venue weren't enough of a nightmare for IU, the Hoosiers will have to play without Devan Dumes, who is ill with the flu, per Tom Crean per the H-T.  Dumes has taken some justifiable criticism for his shot selection, but a run from a streak shooter like him would be necessary for IU to have any hope of the upset.  With Dumes out for this game and Maurice Creek and Matt Roth out for the year (apparently), the Hoosiers' perimeter shooting options are limited.

Wisconsin, because it plays an extremely slow-paced style (60.4 possessions per game, #339 in Division I), the Badgers unfairly suffer from the perception that they are "all defense/no offense."  This isn't even close to true, and never has been in the Bo Ryan era.  The Badger offense may not be a thing of beauty on TV, but it is on paper.  Wisconsin ranks #21 nationally at 1.14 points per possession, turns the ball over only 15.5 percent of the time (#4), shoots well inside the arc (51.3%, #60), shoots well from the line (73.5%, #35), and is moderately above average in three point shooting (34.9%, #141).  On defense, the Badgers are even better, ranking #4 in points allowed per possession (.867), limiting opponents to 25 percent offensive rebounding, and holding opponents to 44 percent inside the arc and 32 percent outside.  Bo Ryan has developed a sound system and it works nearly every year.  The Badgers recently damaged their Big Ten title hopes with a home loss to Illinois, but remain strong.

If there is any consolation for the Hoosiers, it's that the Badgers' leading scorer, Jon Leuer, is expected to miss his ninth consecutive game because of a wrist injury.  Still, even without Leuer, the Badgers feature a balanced scoring attack with Trevon Hughes, Jason Bohannon, Jordan Taylor, and Keaton Nankivil averaging between 8 and 16 points per game.  At least that Polar Bear guy and Mike Kelleyand his girlfriend are gone, I think. 

Kohl has been a house of horrors for IU, from blowouts like last year's game to the Hartzell-Hightower game of 2005.  Wisconsin's last home game, the aforementioned loss to Illinois, was the Badgers' first home loss to an unranked team in 51 games.  Can IU make it two in a row?  I would like to think so, but improvement after an indefensible performance against Ohio State would be something.