STREAKING BADGERS HEAD TO MSU LOOKING FOR MORE
Winners of 7 straight, the Badgers will visit No. 8 Michigan State on Thursday, just 5 days after winning at No. 2 Maryland. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.
    Up next, UW will host Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 pm (CT) on BTN.

NOTES TO KNOW
1 STREAKING UNDER GARD: The Badgers are 9-4 since Greg Gard assumed the head coaching duties. UW's 7-game win streak is the nation's longest among major conference teams. In that span UW has increased its scoring from 68.6 to 72.7 ppg.
2 RESUME BUILDING: According to ESPN.com, Wisconsin has faced the 6th-toughest schedule in the nation. No Big Ten team has more RPI top-100 wins than UW (8) and only Michigan State (6) and Maryland (5) have more top-50 wins than UW (4).
3 ANOTHER TOP-5 TAKEDOWN: After the 70-57 win at No. 2 Maryland, UW is one of just 5 teams with a pair of top-5 wins this season. UW has won 8 of its last 11 games vs. teams in the AP top 5. During that span, no other Big Ten team has a winning record or more than five top-5 wins.
4 ROADIES: The Badgers have the most road/neutral wins and 2nd-best win pct. away from home of any major conference team over the last 3 years. UW is 42-12 (.778) away from the Kohl Center in that span, including a mark of 5-4 this season.
5 HAYES-ING: Preseason All-Big Ten pick Nigel Hayes is 1 of just 3 Big Ten players averaging at least 17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 3.0 apg. He is 5th in the B1G in scoring at 17.1 ppg, and has averaged 20.4 ppg over UW's 7-game win streak.
6 THISCLOSE: UW's 4 Big Ten losses have come by an average of 3.8 points. Overall, the Badgers have played a total of 8 games decided by 3 points or less, 3rd-most in the nation.
7 TAKING WHAT'S FREE: UW ranks 2nd in the Big Ten, averaging 22.1 FTAs per game. Over the last 7 games, the Badgers have increased that to 27.3 FTAs per game. Nigel Hayes is 51-for-67 (.761) at the line over that stretch.
8 HAPP PUSHING FOR FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: A three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Ethan Happ is making his claim as the Big Ten's top rookie. With a career-high 25 points vs. Indiana (1/26), Happ is tied for the Big Ten lead in doubles-doubles (7), ranks 5th in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and is 4th among Big Ten freshmen in scoring (11.6 ppg).
9 KOENIG HEATING UP: Bronson Koenig ranks 2nd on the Badgers averaging 13.4 ppg, shooting 40.6% from 3-point range in B1G play. The junior has hit a triple in 36 consecutive games, the 3rd-longest streak in the country.
10 THAT 70S SHOW: Wisconsin has won 32 consecutive games when scoring at least 70 points (12-0 this season).
11 3-GAME, 3-POINT THREAT: Shooting 36.2% from deep and averaging 6.3 made 3FGs per game on the year, UW has gone 36-for-66 (.545) from long range over the last 3 games.

UW RESUME GETTING STRONGER (SOS: 6 | RPI: 44 | BPI: 37 | KenPom: 33)
- According to ESPN.com RPI rankings, UW has faced the 7th-toughest schedule in the NCAA and have steadily climbed into the RPI top 50 (44).
    Of UW's 12 Big Ten games, 6 have come against teams currently in the RPI top 40.
- According to the RPI, the Badgers' resume includes road wins at Maryland (6) and 38 Syracuse (38) as well as home wins over Michigan State (16) and Indiana (36). UW also has a neutral-site win over VCU (56) on it's ledger.
- No Big Ten team has more RPI top-100 wins than Wisconsin. Badgers have registered 8 wins over the RPI top 100 (and 4 over the top 50), equaling Michigan State and Maryland. Those two are also the only teams with more top-50 wins.
- The Badgers' 5 home losses have come by a combined 14 points (2.8 avg.). In each of the defeats, UW was either tied or within one score in the final 2:00. In fact, the Badgers had a game-winning/tying shot attempt in the closing seconds of 3 of the losses.

TOP-5 TAKEDOWNS
- The Badgers are 4-3 against teams ranked in the AP poll this season, including a pair of top-5 wins over MSU (4) and at Maryland (2).
- Last Saturday's 70-57 win at No. 2 Maryland was UW's highest-ranked road win since topping No. 2 Indiana, 64-59, in Bloomington in 2013. It was also the Badgers' largest margin of victory in a top-5 road win since an 82-66 win at No. 5 LSU in 1953.
- One of just 5 teams to post a pair of top-5 wins this season, Wisconsin has now won 8 of its last 11 games against teams ranked in the AP top 5.
- Wisconsin's 8-3 record against the AP since 2012-13 is the best mark in the Big Ten teams. In fact, Maryland (5-4) and Michigan State (5-5) are the only other teams with a .500 record of better.
- Wisconsin will face No. 8 Michigan State on Thursday. Since 2012-13, the Badgers are 10-7 against top-10 opponents.

ALL-TIME VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Sunday's game will mark the 140th meeting between Wisconsin and Michigan State, with the series dating back to 1922. MSU leads the all-time series, 75-64, however the Badgers have won the last 3 meetings.
- The Badgers won this season's fi rst meeting, 77-76. Interestingly, Wisconsin hasn't traveled to East Lansing since 2013, facing MSU fi ve times at home or a neutral location since then.
- UW has gone 17-12 vs. the Spartans under Bo Ryan/Greg Gard.
- Wisconsin has not won at the Breslin Center since a 68-64 OT victory in 2004. MSU has won the last 8 meetings in East Lansing.
- Among the Badgers current roster, only 1 player has played at the Breslin Center - Zak Showalter played 1 minute in 2013.
- Nigel Hayes has scored 25 points in each of his last 2 meetings with MSU and Bronson Koenig has averaged 22.5 ppg in his last 2 contests vs. MSU.
- Since Ryan took over at UW in 2001-02, the Badgers are the only Big Ten team to own a winning record against Michigan State (min. 3 games).
- Including Thursday's matchup, at least one team has been ranked in 29 of the last 30 meetings.
- Over the last 20 meetings vs. MSU, the Badgers have limited the Spartans to an average of 60.6 ppg.

NOTES FROM UW'S LAST GAME
UW 70, #2 MARY 57 - 2/13/16 - XFINITY Center
- The Badgers won their 7th-straight game and notched their second top-5 win of the year by knocking off No. 2 Maryland, 70-57, in College Park.
- UW's win was its highest-ranked road win since winning at No. 2 Indiana in 2013. It was also the Badgers highest margin of victory in a top-5 road win since an 82-66 win at No. 5 LSU in 1953.
- UW snapped UM's 27-game home winning streak and became the first Big Ten team to win at the XFINITY Center since the Terps joined the conference.
- Trailing 14-7, the Badgers used a 17-0 first-half run to grab a lead they would never relinquish. UW held Maryland scoreless for a span of 8:22.
- The Badgers hit 12-of-26 from 3-point range and held the Terps to just 40.0% shooting (5-14 3FGs). UW also limited Maryland to season-low point total.
- UW out-rebounded Maryland, 40-30 (13-9 on offensive glass). The Badgers owned a 20-4 advantage in second-chance points.
- Vitto Brown led UW with a career-high 21 points (3-6 3FGs) and grabbed 7 rebounds. Brown has now posted career-highs in each of the last two games.
- Bronson Koenig scored 16 points with 5 assists. Nigel Hayes added 14 points, Zak Showalter had 11 points and Ethan Happ had 10 boards and 4 steals.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH UNIFORMS 
- In honor of Black History Month and former Wisconsin head coach Bill Cofi eld, the Badgers will be wearing special throwback adidas uniforms several times in the month of February. UW will be wearing the uniforms modeled after those worn in 1976, Cofi eld's fi rst year as head coach in Madison. "It was originally planned with adidas that we would wear the throwback uniforms for one game in February, but our players overwhelmingly requested that we honor Black History Month by wearing the uniforms for the entire month," head coach Greg Gard explained. "I was proud of their passion for the subject and fully supported expanding our recognition of Black History Month."
- The first African-American head coach in either basketball or football in Big Ten history, Cofield coached at Wisconsin from 1976 to 1982.

2015-16 TEAM INFO
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3 | Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/5
- Wisconsin looks to replace five of the top seven scorers from a year ago, but does return a pair of starters in juniors Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig. Overall, the Badgers bring back 38.1% of their minutes played from last season. UW will bring back 34.3% of its scoring, 31.5% of its rebounding and 40.5% of their assists.
- The 2015-16 season will mark the first year under Bo Ryan in which the Badgers do not have a scholarship senior. The only senior on the roster is walk-on guard Jordan Smith. Wisconsin has had at least one senior starter in each of Ryan's first 14 seasons in Madison. In fact, the Badgers have started at least two seniors in 10 of those 14 seasons.
- UW returns four players from last season's nine-man rotation:

FRONTCOURT
Nigel Hayes, Jr., F (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg) - Third-team All-Big Ten; 9th in Big Ten shooting 49.7% overall and 3rd on UW shooting 39.6% from 3s; 4 career double-doubles
Vitto Brown, Jr., F (2.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg) - Played in 34 games as a soph. averaging 6.3 mpg

BACKCOURT
Bronson Koenig, Jr., G (8.7 ppg, 2.5 apg) - Started final 24 games; 4th on the team in points and 2nd in assists; 2nd on team shooting 40.5% on 3s; 3.0 assist-to-TO Ratio
Zak Showalter, Jr., G (2.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg) - Redshirt junior averaged 7.6 minutes off the bench; career-high 9 points vs. Indiana (Feb. 3, 2015)
- The Badgers will gain the services of redshirt freshmen Ethan Happ and T.J. Schlundt in 2014- 15, who both redshirted in their first year on campus. UW will also add five true freshmen to their roster in 2015-16, Alex Illikainen (Grand Rapids, Minn.), Khalil Iverson (Delaware, Ohio), Brevin Pritzl (De Pere, Wis.), Charlie Thomas (Highland, Md.), Andy Van Vliet (Brasschaat, Belgium).