Feb. 1, 2005
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EVANSTON, Ill. -
Last week, Wisconsin boasted the longest home winning streak in the country.
Wednesday night, though, Northwestern arrives at the Kohl Center to face a Badger squad that is just like a number of other college basketball teams -- one looking to erase the memory of a loss in its last home game (that group of teams includes the Wildcats, by the way).
Northwestern vs. Wisconsin
Wednesday, Feb. 2 * 7 p.m. Central
Kohl Center (Madison, Wis.)
TV: ESPN+ Local (Craig Coshun, play-by-play; Shon Morris, analyst)
Click here for TV clearances for Wednesday's game
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; David Kaplan, analyst)
Does that change the dynamic for Wednesday's game at all? According to NU head coach Bill Carmody, yes -- to an extent.
"I think they have to realize now that they are vulnerable at home," he said. "Of course, in Illinois and Michigan State (who nearly knocked off Wisconsin at the Kohl Center on Jan. 16) we are talking about two great teams."
As mentioned above, the Wildcats would rather forget their last home game. Fresh off a scintillating, one-point overtime win against nationally ranked Iowa, NU looked like it was going to overcome a game Ohio State squad Saturday, opening up an eight-point lead and in possession of the ball with just more than six minutes to play.
A bad pass in the backcourt led to a Buckeye layup, though, and momentum quickly swung. Before all was said and done, OSU had constructed a 22-1 run and waltzed out of Welsh-Ryan Arena with a 13-point victory.
"What disappointed me most was our lifelessness," said Carmody. "It was still a one-point game with three minutes to play. Our inability to score was one thing, but we lacked the aggressive attitude you need to overcome it."
As a result, Northwestern reaches the midway point of the Big Ten schedule tonight looking to improve on a 2-5 conference record at Wisconsin's notoriously unfriendly house.
Did You Know?
Northwestern has played Wisconsin more than it has played any other Big Ten team in men's basketball (Wednesday's game is the 160th meeting between the teams); the Wildcats also boast 59 wins over the Badgers, more than they have against any of the other conference institutions -- or anyone else, for that matter.
The Series with Wisconsin
This game marks the 160th meeting between the Wildcats and the Badgers in men's basketball; Wisconsin leads the series 100-59.
This is the second year in a row NU and Wisconsin have met just once during the regular season; last year, Northwestern defeated the then-No. 14/11 Badgers, 69-51, in Evanston.
NU head coach Bill Carmody is 2-4 against the Badgers; in addition to last year's win, the Wildcats also defeated Wisconsin 69-60 during the 2002 regular season.
NU has not won in the Kohl Center.