BADGERS AIM FOR 16TH-STRAIGHT HOME WIN
Wisconsin hosts Ohio State on Thursday looking to extend a streak of 15 consecutive home wins. The Badgers have won the last two meetings with the Buckeyes and are 11-2 against the Buckeyes at the Kohl Center since 2001.

Up next, the Badgers will have the weekend off before hosting Michigan on Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. (CT) on ESPN. UW has won 16 of the last 18 against the Wolverines.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WISCONSIN
GARD IN CHARGE: Greg Gard and Wisconsin haven't missed a step since he took over a year ago. The 2016 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year, Gard is 28-11, the best start of any UW coach in 100 years.
BIG TEN BEASTS: The Badgers have boasted a winning conference record and finished among the top 4 in each of the last 16 seasons, the longest run of success of any team in B1G basketball history.
BIG WINS: Wisconsin already owns wins over teams from the ACC, Big East (2x), Big 12 and SEC this season. According to KenPom.com, UW has six top-100 wins, the most of any Big Ten team.
RANK AND FILE: Under Greg Gard, UW is 7-6 against teams in the AP Top-25 and are looking to post wins over ranked teams in back-to-back regular-season games for the first time since 2014.
HAYES AT THE HUB: Senior Nigel Hayes has been at the center of Wisconsin's recent offensive attack, averaging 15.2 ppg, shooting 53.1% and averaging 7.0 FTAs during the last 10 games. Hayes ranks 6th on UW's all-time scoring list with 1,556 career points. The versatile forward is also the nation's only active player with at least 1,500 points, 600 rebounds and 200 assists.
MAKING IT HAPP-EN: Sophomore Ethan Happ is doing it all this season, cracking the B1G leader board in scoring (13.4 ppg is 17th), rebounding (9.1 is 2nd), FG% (.646 is 2nd), steals (1.9 is 2nd) and ranks 2nd on the team with 2.9 assists per game.
PROTECT THIS HOUSE: The Badgers have won 15 games in a row at home. UW's .873 (268-39) all-time winning percentage at the Kohl Center is tied for fourth among all active arenas in the NCAA. 
LOOKING TO SCORE: Sporting one of the most efficient offenses in the nation (16th according to KenPom.com), UW is averaging 79.8 ppg and shooting 51.0% during the last 10 games.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Wisconsin leads the Big Ten allowing just 59.8 ppg and ranks 2nd with 7.3 steals per game. According to KenPom.com, UW ranks 18th in the NCAA in defensive efficiency.
OWNING THE GLASS: The Badgers are 5th in the nation with a +10.9 rebounding margin. UW also ranks 3rd in the NCAA in defensive rebounding percentage (77.8%) and 13th in offensive rebounding percentage (37.5%).
KOENIG HEATING UP: UW's leading scorer (14.0 ppg), Bronson Koenig was 5-for-5 from 3-point range at Indiana and is shooting 50.9% from beyond the arc (28-for-55) over the last nine games.
RANK AND FILE: Under Greg Gard, UW is 7-7 against teams in the AP Top 25 (2-3 this season).

ALL-TIME VS. OHIO STATE
Thursday's game will be the 156th meeting between Wisconsin and Ohio State in a series beginning in 1905. OSU elads the all-time series, 86-69, however UW holds a 47-32 edge in games played in Madison.
- Wisconsin and Ohio State have split the last 20 meetings between the school.
- The Badgers and Buckeyes have met just once in each of the last three seasons, with Wisconsin winning the most recent two. In 2015, UW claimed a72-48 win in Columbus, the Buckeyes' most lopsided Big Ten loss at Value City Arena. Last year, the Badgers posted a 79-68 win over OSU at the Kohl Center.
    In the 2014 meeting, the Buckeyes claimed a rare 59-58 win in Madison, just their second in 13 meetings at the Kohl Center since 2001.
- Wisconsin will make a return trip to Ohio State later this season on Feb. 23.
- UW is 13-10 (.565) against Thad Matta-led Ohio State teams. The Badgers own the best win percentage against Matta's Buckeyes of any Big Ten team.
- Wisconsin has held Ohio State to 60 or fewer points in seven of the last eight meetings. Since 2012, the Buckeyes are averaging just 56.4 ppg against the Badgers.
- Including Thursday's contest, at least one of the teams have been ranked in 21 of the last 23 meetings (dating back to 2005). In fact, both teams have been ranked in nine of the last 12 meetings.

LAST TIME OUT
#20 Purdue 66, #13 Wisconsin 55
Jan. 8, 2017  |  Mackey Arena  |  West Lafayette, Ind.

- Wisconsin pulled within four points on a few occasions in the second half, but couldn't overcome a 12-0 Boilermakers run, ultimately falling 66-55 on the road against No. 20 Purdue.
- Wisconsin shot its second-lowest mark of the season at 39.0% (2-14 3FGs), while Purdue hit on 52.2% (7-15 3FGs) of its field goal attempts. The Badgers were also out-rebounded for just the third time this season, 34-22.
- Sophomore Ethan Happ led the Badgers in points (17), rebounds (5), assists (4) and matched his personal high with six steals on the day. Nigel Hayes was the only other UW player in double figures with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
- The Badgers garnered nine steals (the team's seventh-consecutive game with at least nine thefts), forced Purdue into 18 turnovers and had a 34-20 scoring edge in the paint but couldn't overcome a cold shooting performance.

THEY'RE ALL WATCHING
Wisconsin's roster features a trio of players on the Preseason All-Big Ten list with Nigel Hayes (Preseason Player of the Year), Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ all earning distinction. That trio is also featured on numerous national award watch lists:

Hayes
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Lute Olsen National Player of the Year
- Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year

Koenig
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Lute Olsen National Player of the Year
- Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year

Happ
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year

2016-17 TEAM INFO
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/4

RETURNING FRONTCOURT STARTERS
- The Badgers welcome back 2016 first-team All-Big Ten selection Nigel Hayes, who averaged 15.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg while leading UW with 104 assists. The 2016-17 Blue Ribbon Magazine preseason National Player of the Year and preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, Hayes joins Michael Finley as the only Badgers to tally at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists by their junior season. If he just matches his junior year totals he would finish 3rd in school history in points (1,340 entering 2016-17), 7th in rebounds (557 entering 2016-17) and 7th in career assists (219 entering 2016-17).
- Sophomore Ethan Happ looks to build off his 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign during which he averaged 12.4 ppg, ranked 6th in the Big Ten with 7.9 rpg and became the first freshman to lead the Big Ten in steals (63 steals) since OSU's Aaron Craft (2010). Happ became just the third NCAA freshman over the last 15 seasons to score 400 points, while recording 60 steals and 30 blocks (also Kevin Durant and DuJuan Blair).
- Senior Vitto Brown finished 4th on the team in scoring, averaing 9.7 ppg with 5.0 rpg. He enjoyed the third-largest scoring increase in the Big Ten a year ago, going from 1.8 ppg to 9.7 ppg in 2015-16. Brown did not attempt a 3-pointer in his first two seasons at UW, but led the team last year, shooting 40% (38-95) from deep.

RETURNING BACKCOURT STARTERS
- Third-team All-Big Ten junior Bronson Koenig returns as the team's lead guard after averaging 13.1 ppg and shooting 39.0% (83-213) from 3-point range. The moniker "Klutch Koenig" was born in 2015-16 after his game-winning shots against VCU and Xavier. In fact, over the final 5:00 and overtime of games last season, Koenig shot 54.8% (17-for-31) from 3-point range. Koenig needs just 71 points and 27 assists to become the 14th player in UW history with at least 1,000 points and 250 assists.
- Senior guard Zak Showalter made just four 3-pointers in his first two seasons, but knocked down 35 percent (37-107) from long range as a junior. Showalter averaged 7.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg while ranking third on UW with 36 steals.
- The Badgers also return key reserves Jordan Hill (junior guard - 15.6 mpg), Khalil Iverson (soph. guard - 13.0 mpg), Alex Illikainen (soph. forward - 9.8 mpg) and Charles Thomas, IV (soph. forward - 9.1 mpg). Wisconsin will also regain the services of redshirt freshman guard Brevin Pritzl, who missed all but one game of his freshman year with a foot injury and sophomore forward Andy Van Vliet, who was forced to sit out the 2015-16 season after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for not enrolling in college within a year of high school graduation. 
- Wisconsin will also welcome a three-man freshman class that features guard D'Mitrik Trice (6-0, Huber Heights, Ohio), forward Aleem Ford (6-8, Lawrenceville, Ga.) and walk-on guard Michael Ballard (6-4, Oak Park, Ill.)