Jan. 23, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Jan. 23, 2010 - Penn State (8-10; 0-6 Big Ten) will head to Madison, Wisconsin Sunday for a match-up with the 18th-ranked Badgers at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State will be looking for its first Big Ten win of the season in one of the conference's toughest venues. The Badgers are 11-0 at home on the season, carry a 16-game home winning streak and are a perfect 50-0 at home vs. unranked Big Ten teams. The Nittany Lions have not won in Madison since 1995, a run of 11 straight games, and will be looking to end a string of 12-straight losses to the Badgers who have won 64 of 69 Big Ten home games under Bo Ryan.
Penn State guard Talor Battle ranks second in the Big Ten posting 18.6 ppg and is coming off his eighth 20-point game (22) of the season vs. Indiana on Thursday. Battle is one of two players in the six BCS Conferences to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He will be looking for support from junior forward Andrew Ott who is coming off a career-best 13-point, 7-rebound outing vs. Indiana.
Penn State has out-rebounded all six of its Big Ten opponents and 15 of 18 opponents on the year. The Lions, in the midst of a six-game losing skid, have lost their last three games by an average of just 3.3 ppg and their 10 losses on the season have come by an average of just 5.9 ppg, including four Big Ten losses by six points or less and six losses overall by five or less.
The Badgers stand second in the Big Ten at 5-2 and are 15-4 overall. They have won three of their last four including victories over No. 4 Purdue (73-66) and Michigan (54-48) in their last outing. Guard Trevon Hughes, who posted 18 points in the Badger's 63-46 victory in State College on Jan. 3, leads Wisconsin posting 16.1 ppg. The Badgers, who lead the Big Ten and rank fifth in the nation allowing just 56.2 ppg, will be without forward Jon Leuer, their second leading scorer, who is out with a wrist injury.