The Wisconsin Badgers are rolling-and head coach Greg Gard is making sure they keep their eyes forward, not in the rearview mirror.
Fresh off a statement win over then-No. 10 Michigan State, Gard isn’t letting his 24th-ranked squad bask in the glow of recent upsets. Instead, he’s dialing the focus toward Tuesday’s road matchup with Ohio State, a team that’s hungry and dangerous despite its record.
“We're on to next,” Gard said after the 92-71 dismantling of the Spartans. “You enjoy the moment, but I think everyone that's in this is extremely competitive, and competitors don't do a good job of flipping the switch off... until maybe May.”
That mindset has served the Badgers well. After a rocky start to the season, they’ve found their rhythm-going 11-3 since a December loss to Villanova.
Along the way, they’ve taken down some of the biggest names in the game, including No. 1 Michigan and No.
10 Illinois. Now sitting at 18-7 overall and 10-4 in the Big Ten, Wisconsin is building a résumé that looks more and more like one built for March.
But Gard knows how quickly momentum can vanish, especially in the Big Ten. Tuesday’s opponent, Ohio State, may not have the wins to show for it, but they’ve been in the fight nearly every night. The Buckeyes are 16-9 (8-6 Big Ten) but are still searching for their first Quad 1 win of the season-currently sitting at 0-7 in that department.
Their latest missed opportunity came Saturday in Nashville, where they let a six-point second-half lead slip away against No. 14 Virginia. The 70-66 loss stung-and head coach Jake Diebler didn’t sugarcoat it.
“There is no moral victory here,” Diebler said. “Our belief and expectation was to come in and win the game, and we didn’t get the job done.”
That loss dropped Ohio State to 0-6 against top-25 opponents. While two of those losses came in blowout fashion against Michigan, the other four were decided by a combined 16 points. This is a team that’s been knocking on the door-they just haven’t broken through yet.
And now, they’ll have to face Wisconsin without one of their most important pieces. Starting guard John Mobley Jr., who averages 15.1 points per game, is out indefinitely with a hand injury. That’s a major blow to a Buckeyes offense that already struggles to close games against elite competition.
In Mobley’s absence, freshman Taison Chatman got his first career start against Virginia, finishing with four points, an assist, and two turnovers. Amare Bynum stepped up with 15 points off the bench, trying to fill the scoring void.
“I wanted to pick up the slack for (Mobley) because he is such a good player,” Bynum said. “He makes a lot of good plays for us on offense. We just have to keep moving the ball on offense until he gets back.”
Offense is only half the battle, though. Defensively, Ohio State has its hands full trying to contain Wisconsin’s dynamic backcourt duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. The two guards combined for 43 points in their last meeting on January 31-a 92-82 Badgers win.
Diebler knows his team has to be sharper on the perimeter and more disciplined in transition.
“We’ve got to guard the ball and do a better job of taking away the 3-point line,” he said. “They’re so dynamic in transition with their guard play that taking care of the ball as part of your transition defense-making sure we keep the ball out of the paint early in possessions-is going to be really important against them.”
For Wisconsin, Tuesday is another opportunity to prove their recent run is no fluke. For Ohio State, it’s a chance to finally break through against a ranked opponent and keep their postseason hopes alive.
One team is trying to stay hot. The other is desperate to catch fire.
Tipoff can’t come soon enough.