Jan. 29, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Wisconsin Game Notes in PDF Format
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Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003/7 p.m.
Site: Evanston, Ill./Northwestern University
Arena/Capacity: Welsh-Ryan Arena/8,117
Series: vs. Wisconsin-NU leads 27-18
Radio/TV: WNUR 89.3 FM/none
Internet: www.wnur.org (sports page)
Welcoming Wisconsin
Northwestern enters Thursday's game coming off a 76-60 loss at the hands of then-No. 12 Purdue at Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday afternoon. The 'Cats look to rebound as Wisconsin enters tonight's game with a 4-14 overall and 2-5 record in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin may have only four wins, but five of the Badgers' 14 losses are by seven points or less, including two in overtime. The Badgers took then-No. 7 Purdue down to the wire, losing 59-53. They also handled a tough Ball State team until the final minute before falling 82-81.
Northwestern can sympathize with the Badgers. Road games at Indiana and Iowa came down to the final minutes, as did a hard-fought home overtime loss to Dayton.
Both teams rely heavily on their defense, as NU is rated fourth in the conference in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 40 percent from the floor. Wisconsin is a close fifth, as opponents make 41 percent of their field goal attempts.
Defense is a major factor in light of both teams ranking 10th and 11th in Big Ten offense. Wisconsin averages 60.1 points per game while Northwestern puts up 55.2 points per contest.