| With the college basketball season in full | | | | last Saturday woke it up and the Badgers want |
| swing, Matt Fargo takes a look at three big | | | | to keep their hold on the Big Ten lead.Old |
| games on tap that you cannot miss this | | | | Dominion Monarchs at George Mason Patriots |
| Saturday.Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan | | | | 2:00 PM ETFirst place will be on the line in |
| Wolverines 2:30 PM ETWisconsin is the lowest | | | | Fairfax on Saturday as the two preseason |
| of the five ranked teams from the Big Ten yet | | | | favorites are living up to their billing. |
| the Badgers are alone in first place. With a | | | | Both teams have just one loss in the month of |
| win they can knock one of the five teams that | | | | January and both sit atop the Colonial with |
| trail them by a single game down further in | | | | 8-2 conference records. A game and a half |
| the standings. Michigan is one of those teams | | | | separates the top six teams in the league so |
| and the Wolverines have quietly gone about | | | | every game at this stage of the season is |
| their business this season with a 14-3 record | | | | important and the teams that can pull out |
| including a 4-2 mark in the conference. | | | | road wins will benefit come conference |
| Surprisingly, they are not ranked.Wisconsin | | | | tournament time.Old Dominion overcame a |
| bounced back in fine fashion following a loss | | | | halftime deficit at home against Drexel on |
| last Saturday at home to North Dakota St. by | | | | Thursday and now must hit the road the where |
| taking its frustrations out on Penn St. on | | | | the Monarchs are 4-3 on the season. They have |
| Wednesday with a 29-point win. The Badgers | | | | won three straight away from home, all in |
| improved to 5-1 in the Big Ten but four of | | | | dominating fashion, but this will be the |
| those wins came at home and Wisconsin is just | | | | toughest CAA road test hands down. Road games |
| 1-3 on the road this season. The lone victory | | | | against Georgia, Wisconsin and UAB have |
| came in a nail biter at Minnesota that the | | | | helped in the preparation but those first two |
| Badgers won by a field goal.Michigan is | | | | were on a neutral floor.The Patriots are hot |
| coming off a win over rival Michigan St. on | | | | as they have won seven of eight games and |
| Wednesday and has now won three straight | | | | their last three losses have been by a |
| games. Both conference losses came on the | | | | combined nine points. George Mason dropped |
| road at Iowa and Illinois, who are a combined | | | | its second league game of the season last |
| 23-0 at home, by a total of 12 points. The | | | | Saturday at NC-Wilmington but rebounded on |
| Wolverines are 10-1 at home this season with | | | | Thursday with a 23-point win over William & |
| the lone loss coming against 17th ranked | | | | Mary. The Patriots are 7-1 at home this |
| UCLA. After finishing last season with 12 | | | | season, losing only to Creighton way back in |
| losses in their last 13 games, Michigan is | | | | November in their home opener.The first |
| looking to avoid a similar finish.Wisconsin | | | | meeting was won by the Monarchs in dramatic |
| has dominated this series of late winning | | | | fashion as they hit a buzzer-beating |
| four of the last five meetings including an | | | | 3-pointer from 25 feet to pull out the |
| 11-point victory in Ann Arbor last season. | | | | one-point victory. George Mason held the |
| The home team has won seven of the last eight | | | | Monarchs to just 32.2 percent shooting but |
| meetings however and Michigan is poised to | | | | the difference was at the free throw line as |
| continue that trend on Saturday. Wisconsin | | | | the Patriots had only eight attempts on the |
| though will be focused once again as the loss | | | | night. |