The last time Indiana men’s basketball won in Madison, Wisconsin, society was vastly different.
Bill Clinton was President of the United States. “Truly Madly Deeply” by Savage Garden was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Top 100. Facebook, let alone Myspace, was years away from its introduction to the world. The Kohl Center had just opened eight days prior.
It was Jan. 25, 1998 — over 27 years ago.
The Hoosiers have lost 20 straight games to the Badgers in Madison. No current players on Indiana’s roster were alive the last time the Hoosiers won in Madison.
But at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson’s squad has a chance to change that.
Wisconsin (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) enters Tuesday night’s game ranked No. 21 in the country under the leadership of 10th-year head coach Greg Gard, who’s taken the Badgers to six NCAA Tournaments.
After five consecutive wins at the resumption of conference play in early January, Wisconsin has lost two of its last four games. The Badgers are coming off a 75-69 win over Northwestern on Feb. 1.
Graduate student guard John Tonje leads Wisconsin in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game. The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Tonje is in his sixth season of college basketball, as he spent the first four years of his college career at Colorado State University before transferring to the University of Missouri before last season.
Joining Tonje in the Badgers’ backcourt is sophomore guard John Blackwell, who’s averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season. Blackwell was a member of the All-Big Ten Freshman team last year.
Senior guard Max Klesmit, who scored 37 combined points in two matchups against the Hoosiers last season, is averaging 10 points and a team-high 2.8 assists per game. Each of Wisconsin’s starting guards stand at least 6-foot-4.
The Badgers’ length carries into their front court, where sophomore forward Nolan Winter and graduate student forward Steven Crowl are each listed as 7-footers. Winter averages 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while Crowl contributes 9.6 points and a team-leading 5.8 rebounds per contest.
Wisconsin, once known for its methodical pace of play, has one of college basketball’s best offenses. The Badgers average 81.5 points per game, the 33rd-best mark in the country, and lead the nation in free throw percentage at 84.5%. Wisconsin makes 10 triples per game, 24th-best in Division I, and connects at a 36.3% clip.
The Badgers, however, have flaws — they rank outside the top 300 in turnovers, steals, blocks and 2-point attempts across 355 teams in Division I.
Perhaps the key to beating Wisconsin? Rebounds. The Badgers have been outrebounded six times this year. They’ve lost four of those six games.
Indiana has lost five of its last six games, including each of its past three, but the most recent two saw the team snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
The Hoosiers led with 15 seconds left in each — a 79-78 home loss to Maryland on Jan. 26 and an 81-76 road defeat to Purdue on Jan. 31 — before allowing go-ahead baskets and faltering on their final offensive possession.
Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako shined in the Hoosiers’ loss at Purdue, scoring 25 points, his most in a Big Ten game this season. Sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle missed the game due to an illness, and his status entering Tuesday is uncertain.
Indiana (14-8, 5-6 Big Ten) owns the all-time series 99-80. The Hoosiers and Badgers split a pair of meetings last season, with the home team winning each game. Wisconsin won 91-79 on Jan. 19, while the Hoosiers took a 74-70 victory Feb. 27.