No. 7 Wisconsin faces pesky Nebraska (Feb 09, 2017)

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Yes, Wisconsin does have twice as many wins this season as Nebraska.

Things have been going much better for the 20-3 Badgers than they have for the Huskers (10-13, 4-7 Big Ten). Wisconsin is on a seven-game winning streak and has moved to No. 7 in the rankings.

The reeling Huskers have lost seven of their past eight games. But their three most recent victories have been road wins over Indiana and Maryland, along with a Jan. 29 home victory over then-No. 20 Purdue.

Nebraska's ability to rise up against big-time opponents isn't lost on Badgers coaches and fans heading into Thursday's 8:06 p.m. CST Big Ten Conference showdown between the two teams at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Wisconsin's most recent game with the Huskers was in the 2016 Big Ten tournament, a 70-58 loss that ended the Badgers' stay in the conference's postseason event.

Then there was the March 9, 2014 meeting in Lincoln when closed the regular season with a 77-68 win over No. 9 Wisconsin in a game that many still acknowledge was the loudest Pinnacle Bank Arena has ever been for a basketball game.

The Badgers are going through their schedule using a variety paths to earn victories. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said moving to the top of the Big Ten standings at 8-1 hasn't been an easy task.

"Good teams do that, they find a way," Gard said. "It's hard to be able to hit on all cylinders for 30-some games. You obviously are building toward a crescendo, you hope your crescendo doesn't happen for a while yet, and to be able to maintain it is hard."

Wisconsin is 1.5 games ahead of two of the foes the Huskers have defeated this year -- Purdue and Maryland.

Whether it's another solid defensive effort to shut down Nebraska's oft-anemic offense, a big game on the defensive glass, or making the most of trips to the free throw line, the Badgers have found a way.

In Sunday's 65-60 victory over Indiana, it was free throws that saved that day. The Badgers were 23-of-31 from the line on a day where field goals weren't falling.

Wisconsin was just 19-of-48 (39.6 percent) overall and 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from 3-point range.

"You're going to go through some ups and downs," Gard said after the game. "You're going to go through nights where the ball doesn't go in. We've been able to find other ways."

One offensive bright spot for the Badgers has been Ethan Happ. The 6-foot-10 sophomore has averaged 21.6 points per game the past six outings, shooting 64.2 percent (43-of-67).

Happ leads three Wisconsin players in double figures at 14.7 per game; Bronson Koenig (14.0) and Nigel Hayes (13.3) are the other two.

For Nebraska to have a chance, the Huskers must pick up their own offensive game. The Huskers have at times struggled to stop opponents from making their 3-pointers.

In a 72-61 loss Feb. 2 to Michigan State, the Huskers gave up a handful of uncontested three's as the Spartans set a Pinnacle Bank Arena record by making 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

In its four conference wins Nebraska is shooting .457 from 3-point range; in the seven losses that success rate falls to .292.

Nebraska senior Tai Webster reached double figures in all 23 NU games this season. The Auckland, New Zealand native is the only Big Ten player to do that.