Wisconsin Basketball: 3 Keys to a Badgers Victory vs. No. 1 Arizona

After a 70-57 road win at Michigan State Tuesday night, Wisconsin basketball has extended their winning streak to six games. Up next is their toughest game on the schedule. They will travel to take on #1 Arizona on Saturday. The good news is the Badgers have three gays off to prepare. Can Wisconsin basketball pull off the biggest win in college basketball to this point? Tip time is 2:15 PM on ESPN.

Here are the keys to a Wisconsin Badgers victory over the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats.

Wisconsin Basketball Has to Win This Game on Defense

Arizona averages 94 points a game on the season. While Wisconsin has a ton of offensive play-makers, they are not built to score that many points, even though they did the first game. The Wildcats are deep at every position and they are talented at every position.

Wisconsin basketball needs to make this game ugly, especially on the defensive side. They need to dictate the pace of play and make Arizona defense the entire shot clock. I love how the Badgers have played on defense the last three weeks. Saturday will need to be by far their best defensive effort to date.

Wisconsin Basketball Must Make Arizona Uncomfortable

How do you make a team like Arizona unconformable? You dictate the pace of play. If there is anything potentially alarming with the Wildcats, it’s that they average 13 turnovers a game. They can get sloppy with the ball.

The way Wisconsin basketball has played on the defensive side since Fort Myers, I have to think they will force some turnovers. What they do with those opportunities remains to been seen. They have to take advantage of every single mistake. It’s hard enough to play on the road in college basketball. Playing on the road against the number one team in the country? That’s a different level of tough.

Play With Nothing to Lose

In this three game gauntlet, winning one game was seen by myself and many as a success. After the Michigan State win, Wisconsin basketball has won two of the three gauntlet games. That is more than successful. As a result, this game doesn’t really matter for the Badgers. On the other end, all the pressure is on Arizona.

Wisconsin will come into this game with no one giving them a shot to win. While the importance of this game isn’t that high, they should go in looking for the upset. A game like this will only help this team once January hits and the Big Ten schedule arrives.

I want to see Wisconsin basketball play loose yet crisp. They need to stick to their basic fundamentals on both sides of the ball, but take chances and takes risks when they’re there. Can this team play with Arizona? They absolutely can. Arizona also played Michigan State and beat them by only six. Anything can happen, but I know this team is up for the challenge on Saturday.

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