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