Gameday Guide: Wisconsin men's basketball vs. Iowa preview
Coming off a conference victory over Maryland, the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team (7-2 overall, 1-0 B1G) enter Sunday's contest against the Iowa Hawkeyes winners of two straight.
Looking to improve to 2-0 in Big Ten play to begin the 2022-2023 season, the Badgers will have the tall task of stopping a talented Iowa team that has not yet played a Big Ten foe.
With that in mind, here is a preview of Wisconsin versus Iowa to help prepare for Sunday afternoon's Big Ten battle.
Game details and television information
- Wisconsin Badgers (7-2 overall) at Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2 overall)
- Tip time is set for 5:30 p.m. CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
- The game will be aired on Big Ten Network
- Matt Lepay will have the call on 1310 WIBA
- Live stats
Betting info
- The Hawkeyes are a 4.5-point favorite according to SI Sportsbook
- The over/under is set at 137.5
Series history
Sunday marks meeting No. 172 between Wisconsin and Iowa in men's basketball. The Badgers own a one-game advantage in the all-time series 86-85 thanks to an 87-78 win in Madison a year ago. That victory snapped a four-game losing streak against the Hawkeyes for UW, but the two teams have split the last 12 meetings.
Tyler Wahl is the only player on the roster that has played at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and the last time these two teams met, Wahl had 16 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor.
Iowa season overview
The Hawkeyes are coming off a blowout win against in-state rival Iowa State. Overall, Iowa has a 7-2 record this season and has scored 100 or more points in two games this year.
So far this season, Iowa has high-major wins over Seton Hall, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Iowa State, and has lost to TCU and Duke on neutral sites.
Iowa averages 82.4 points per game and shoots 35% from behind the three-point arc, helping them win by an average of 15 points per game.
Top scorers
Wisconsin
- Tyler Wahl (F): 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game
- Chucky Hepburn (G): 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game
- Connor Essegian (G): 10 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game
Iowa
- Kris Murray (F): 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.75 assists per game
- Patrick McCaffery (F): 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game
- Filip Rebraca (F): 11.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game
The biggest question for Wisconsin
Iowa will be without leading-scorer Kris Murray against the Badgers on Sunday. The 6-foot-8 junior is one of the top players in the Big Ten, so the fact that he is unavailable is big news for Wisconsin.
So that begs the question, can the Badgers steal a road game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena?
Wisconsin has lost its last two games in Iowa City and has not won at Iowa since 2018. With Kris Murray unable to play, this is a crucial opportunity for the Badgers to potentially win a key road game against one of the top teams in the conference.
Iowa still has plenty of firepower with Murray on the bench, as they recently beat a ranked Iowa State team by 19 points with Murray out.
The Badgers will welcome Iowa to the Kohl Center in late February, but Sunday's matchup is definitely winnable and a game that Wisconsin could use early in Big Ten play. The conference is set up to be a battle this year and road wins are hard to come by.
Game notes
- Wisconsin assistant coach Dean Oliver was a three-time All-Big Ten pick with the Hawkeyes as a player from 1998-2001.
- Each of the past six games for Wisconsin has been decided by five points or less. The Badgers are 4-2 in those contests, and UW was 12-3 in close games a year ago.
- Chucky Hepburn is shooting 47.7% from three-point range this year, up from 38% a year ago.
- Center Steven Crowl leads Wisconsin with three assists per game and is second on the team in rebounds with 6.7 per game.
- Tyler Wahl leads the Badgers in both points and rebounds per game, while also ranking third in assists and steals.
- Wisconsin is tied for No. 16 in the country with only 10.2 turnovers per game.
Related links:
- WATCH: Greg Gard awards Isaac Lindsey with a scholarship
- Game notes and top plays from Wisconsin vs. Maryland
- Wisconsin versus Marquette game recap
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