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Pregame Shootaround 1.15.13: Indiana has lost 10 straight to Wisconsin?

Ryan Evans, Keifer Sykes

Wisconsin’s Ryan Evans, left, shoots past Green Bay’s Keifer Sykes during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, in Madison, Wis. Evans had a team-high 13 points in Wisconsin’s 65-54 win. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

AP

Game of the Day: Wisconsin at No. 2 Indiana (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Want to hear one of the stranger stats in college hoops? Wisconsin has beaten Indiana the last ten times they played. Seriously. The Badgers also come in having won their last six games -- including a 23-point thrashing of Illinois over the weekend -- and playing their best basketball of the season as they seem to have finally figured out a way to thrive without Josh Gasser in the fold. But Indiana also played their best basketball of season in the first half against Minnesota on Saturday, which can only mean one thing: this should be a great game.

Who’s Getting Upset?: No. 20 Notre Dame at St. John’s (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Notre Dame is coming off of a loss at home against UConn while St. John’s knocked off Cincinnati at Fifth Third Arena two weeks ago. The Johnnies have pretty good perimeter attack and a shotblocker in the paint that should help keep Jack Cooley in check. The Johnnies have plenty of athleticism, the question is whether or not they are going to be disciplined enough defensively and can execute well enough offensively.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Day: Northern Iowa at No. 12 Creighton (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

Two months ago, we would have thought that this was going to be one of the best games of the Missouri Valley regular season. While Creighton has been as good as advertised, Northern Iowa hasn’t held up their end of the bargain. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the Panthers can’t knock off the Bluejays, which is why this falls under out Mid-Major Matchup of the Day. UNI has a really good trio of guards and a couple of talented big men.

Also worth noting: Doug McDermott originally signed his LOI with Northern Iowa before his dad took the coaching gig at Creighton.

Five Things to Watch For

1) The night kicks off with one of the more intriguing games in the SEC this season. Kentucky hosts Tennessee, with both teams desperately needing to pick up a win for their at-large profiles. Big Blue Nation might revolt with another loss in Rupp.

2) George Mason was one of the favorites in the CAA heading into the season, but they’ve started out league play just 2-2. Tonight, they host James Madison, who is a game out of first place.

3) Ole Miss puts their undefeated SEC record on the line in Nashville tonight as they take on a Commodore team that managed all of 33 points against Arkansas on Saturday.

4) Stony Brook is probably the best team in the America East this year, but Boston U. has a talented enough back court to challenge the Terriers.

5) Cincinnati had climbed into the top ten a couple of weeks ago, but they needed a win over Rutgers to snap a stretch where they lost three out of four games and fell out of the top 25. The Bearcats shouldn’t have trouble at DePaul tonight.

The Top 25


  • Wisconsin at No. 2 Indiana, (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
  • Northern Iowa at No. 12 Creighton, (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
  • No. 20 Notre Dame at St. John’s, (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Other Notable Games


  • Tennessee at Kentucky, (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
  • Cincinnati at DePaul, (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
  • Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, (9:00 p.m. ET ESPN2)

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.