12/19 Big Ten basketball preview: Wisconsin vs Villanova

It’s a weird week of Big Ten hoops.

A few teams still have high-major games left to play while others are dashing for the cupcake buffet, their resume-building opportunities firmly in the rearview mirror. As we go further into the holiday season, there’s more and more days without basketball at all.

Advertisement

Thursday was one such day. Luckily for the fans of everyone’s favorite college basketball conference, Friday is NOT.

Here’s what to know about the three matchups we have on deck to close out the week:

Wisconsin Badgers vs Villanova Wildcats

Tip time/TV channel: 8 p.m. ET on FOX

KenPom spread: Badgers by 1

Greg Gard clashes with an old Big Ten foe in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin is set for a matchup against Villanova at Fiserv Forum. The Wildcats are led by Kevin Willard, whose drawn-out, awkward exit from Maryland this past season created plenty of headlines before and during the Terrapins’ NCAA Tournament run.

The Badgers are having a weird year up to this point. Their statistical profile is mostly fine and the shot selection is what you’d expect from a modern offense but they’ve been blown off the floor by two teams in BYU and Nebraska. The Cougars have a potential No. 1 overall pick on the roster while the Huskers just shredded Wisconsin’s defense. If there’s been any sort of struggle, it’s come at times against the 3-point shot and facing longer defenses.

Advertisement

Villanova is just about at Wisconsin’s level albeit with a more efficient offense and a better-looking loss to BYU. The Wildcats got stomped by Michigan (but hey, who hasn’t) and likewise have a healthy stat profile.

If there’s something to watch for, Villanova shoots 3s pretty well and does so often. Wisconsin’s going to have to lock down the perimeter and take advantage of a home crowd if it wants to win this one.

Cal Poly Mustangs at UCLA Bruins

Tip time/TV channel: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PST on the Big Ten Network

KenPom spread: Bruins by 22

UCLA has been rounding into form a bit after a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/12-19-big-ten-basketball-220000825.html

Author :

Publish date : 2025-12-18 22:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.