WISCONSIN HITS ROAD FOR BORDER BATTLE
Sitting atop the Big Ten standings, Wisconsin will meet Minnesota for the 200th time on Saturday in Minneapolis. The Badgers have won five straight over the Gophers, including each of the last two at Williams Arena.

Up next, the Badgers will host Penn State on Jan. 24 for an 8 p.m. (CT) tip time on BTN. PSU has never won in the Kohl Center (0-13).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WISCONSIN
MID-SEASON SURGE: Wisconsin has won 11 of the last 12 games and is out-scoring opponents by 19.6 ppg (79.6 to 60.0) during that stretch. 
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 30-11, 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 seven top-100 wins, the most of any Big Ten team.
HAYES AT THE HUB: Senior Nigel Hayes has been at the center of Wisconsin's recent offensive attack, averaging 15.0 ppg, shooting 52.1% and averaging 7.0 FTAs during the last 12 games. Sixth on UW's all-time scoring list, Hayes is 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 for UW, averaging 12.8 ppg (18th in B1G), 9.1 rpg (2nd in B1G), .605 FG% (3rd in B1G), 1.9 spg (2nd in B1G) and is second on the team with 2.8 apg.
KINGS ON THE ROAD: Over the last four seasons, UW is 50-19 (.725) in road/neutral games, the fifth-best win percentage in college basketball. Under Greg Gard, UW is 7-5 in true road games.
BADGER BALANCE: UW is one of just eight teams in the NCAA that rank among the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. UW is averaging 79.6 ppg over the last 12 games and defensively the Badgers lead the Big Ten allowing 60.4 ppg.
OWNING THE GLASS: The Badgers are 6th in the nation with a +10.4 rebounding margin. UW also ranks 5th in the NCAA in defensive rebounding percentage (77.6%) and 13th in  offensive rebounding percentage (37.5%).
KOENIG HEATING UP: UW's leading scorer (14.4 ppg), Bronson Koenig is shooting 61.5 % from 3-point range (16-for-26) during Big Ten play.

ALL-TIME VS. MINNESOTA
Wisconsin and Minnesota will be playing for the 200th time on Saturday, making the Gophers the most played opponent in UW history. Minnesota leads the all-time series, 102-97, including a 69-33 edge in games played in Minneapolis.
- Interestingly, the football series between Wisconsin and Minnesota is dead even at 59-59-8 all-time.
- Recently, the Badgers have dominated both the basketball and football rivalries with Minnesota. In basketball, UW has won each of the last five meetings with the Gophers and nine of the last 11. In football, Wisconsin has won 12 straight over Minnesota.
- UW has won in each of its last two visits to Minneapolis, including a 62-49 win at Williams Arena in last season's only meeting.
- Minnesota will make a return trip to Madison this season in the Big Ten regular season finale on March 5.
- Junior Nigel Hayes has averaged 11.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg in six career games against Minnesota. He has shot 53.2% (25-47) against the Gophers. Ethan Happ had 12 points and 10 rebounds in his only game against Minnesota. In his last four meetings with MINN, Bronson Koenig has scored 13.3 ppg while shooting 64.7% (11-17) from 3-point range.
- Wisconsin's roster features just one player from the state of Minnesota, sophomore Alex Illikainen (Grand Rapids). However, the Badgers have two commits from Minnesota in their Class of 2017: Brad Davison (Osseo) and Nathan Reuvers (Lakeville).
- Minnesota has been a very fertile recruiting area for the Badgers over the last 10 years. Since 2007, UW's roster has featured standouts like Jon Leuer, Jordan Taylor, Jared Berggren, Kammron Taylor and Mike Bruesewitz.

LAST TIME OUT
#17 Wisconsin 68, Michigan 64
Jan. 17, 2017  |  Kohl Center  |  Madison, Wis.

- Wisconsin won its 17th consecutive home game and fifth straight vs. Michigan with a 68-64 win over the Wolverines on Tuesday.
- The Badgers trailed 49-43 with 6:29 left in the game. From there, UW went on a 15-0 run, which included 10 straight from Bronson Koenig, to seize control. UW hit 12 of its last 16 shots.
- UW held Michigan to a first-half low 21 points. The Wolverines didn't score a FG for the final 7:10 of the first half. Michigan also had a FG drought of 4:32 late in the second half.
- UW out-scored Michigan in the paint, 32-16. The Badgers have out-scored 15 of their 18 opponents in the paint.
- Bronson Koenig led UW with 16 points (3-5 3FGs). Nigel Hayes (13), Vitto Brown (13) and Ethan Happ (11) rounded out the double-digit scorers.

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.)