Kohl Center – Madison, WI
Tip-off: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Wisconsin -5.5, Total: 121.5

#17 Wisconsin will be looking to pick up its first win over a ranked opponent when the team hosts #22 Syracuse on Tuesday.

Syracuse started the season off with four straight wins, but the team fell 64-50 as an 8.5-point favorite at the Barclays Center on Saturday. The Orange shot just 31.8% from the floor in that game and they will need to be a lot better in order to win in Madison on Tuesday. The Badgers, meanwhile, have not started the year the way they would have hoped. They returned all of their rotation players from last year’s run to the Sweet 16, but they lost 79-67 as 1.5-point favorites at Creighton in the second game of the year and also got embarrassed in a 71-56 loss to North Carolina in Maui on Nov. 23. Wisconsin will be hoping to make a statement with a win on Tuesday, and the team will be confident in its ability to earn the victory. The Badgers beat the Orange 66-58 as three-point underdogs at the Carrier Dome last year. Wisconsin held Syracuse to just 35.7% shooting from the floor in that one, and a similar effort is not out of the question here. One trend worth pointing out is the fact that the Badgers are 32-13 ATS in home games versus teams that are making 48% or more of their field goals since 1997. For those interested in playing the total, Syracuse is 6-0 Over versus teams that are called for 17 or fewer fouls per game over the past two seasons. Wisconsin, however, is 9-0 Under after having won three of its past four games under head coach Greg Gard.

Syracuse might not be an offensive juggernaut, but this team is making life on its opponents difficult this season. The Orange have stifled teams this year, as they are allowing just 54.8 PPG on the season (4th in NCAA). They’ll hope to keep that up on Tuesday, but it won’t be easy against this Wisconsin team. The guys that really get after it defensively for Syracuse are C Paschal Chukwu (1.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.2 BPG) and F Tyler Lydon (11.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.4 BPG). Both guys are doing excellent jobs defending the rim this season, and they better be prepared to do so on Tuesday. Chukwu is a transfer from Providence, and he is strictly an energy guy for this team. Lydon, however, is one of the Orange’s best options offensively. A stretch-four in every sense of the word, Lydon’s ability to shoot the ball really opens up this offense. He is knocking down 50.0% of his threes thus far and will look to hurt the Badgers from deep on Tuesday. The other guys that should make a significant impact offensively are Gs Andrew White III (15.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG) and Frank Howard (9.2 PPG, 6.4 APG, 1.8 SPG). White III knows how to score the basketball, and he has taken no time to get acclimated after transferring over from Nebraska. He is an excellent shooter from the outside (36.8% 3PT) and also uses his length to get to the rim. Howard, meanwhile, is the guy that runs the show for the Orange. He’ll do his best to set up teammates, but he’ll also call his own number when things break down. He has scored 10 points in each of the past two games and his matchup with Bronson Koenig will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game. A last guy worth mentioning is F Tyler Roberson (10.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG). Roberson is a lengthy forward that has some serious athleticism. Syracuse will need him to be ready to defend in this game, as he’ll likely spend a lot of time guarding Nigel Hayes.

The Badgers know that a win on Tuesday is important and that is why seniors G Bronson Koenig (14.4 PPG) and F Nigel Hayes (11.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.6 APG) are going to need to come out and set the tone for this team. Koenig is one of the better point guards in the nation, but he has been ice cold to start the year. After shooting 40.5% from three as a sophomore and 39.0% from three as a junior, Koenig is connecting on only 24.6% of his outside shots to start the year. There is a lid on the rim for him right now, but a matchup against this zone might be just what the doctor ordered for him. He’ll be aggressive in taking his shots on Tuesday, and should shoot better in front of his own fans. Hayes, meanwhile, would be wise not to shoot the outside shot. He had his best game of the season on Sunday, finishing with 17 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor and 7-for-8 shooting from the charity stripe. Instead of settling for outside shots, Hayes used his size and strength to finish at the rim and draw fouls. Wisconsin needs him to do just that on Tuesday. F Ethan Happ (11.9 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.9 SPG) should also be in for a big game for the Badgers in this one. Happ dominated this ‘Cuse team last year, finishing with 18 points and 15 rebounds in 43 minutes of action. He is a much better player now than he was then, and he’ll use his unorthodox moves to finish in the paint in this one. Another guy that could be a factor in this game is G Brevin Pritzl (2.8 PPG). Pritzl has played only 3.8 MPG this season, but he is the best shooter on this Badgers team. They could look to give him some minutes as a “zone buster” on Tuesday, as Syracuse would need to pay significant attention to his ability to stroke it from deep.