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GAME NOTES: Big Ten Conference rivals square off in Ann Arbor this afternoon, as the 16th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers pay a visit to the Michigan Wolverines.

Wisconsin is an impressive 17-5 on the season and has won seven of its 10 Big Ten bouts, but the team hasn't fared well on the road, going just 2-4 thus far. The Badgers have won three of their last four regardless of venue, the most recent of which being a 67-49 thrashing of No. 5 Michigan State on Tuesday.

Michigan is an even 11-11 on the year, but two games below .500 in conference at 4-6. The Wolverines, who are a solid 9-3 at home, has lost four of their last five games, including a 67-52 decision at Northwestern earlier this week. Wisconsin is UM's seventh ranked opponent of the season, and the Maize and Blue are 2-4 against such foes -- both wins coming at home.

Although Michigan owns an 89-61 advantage in the all-time series, Wisconsin has won seven in a row and nine of the last 10 meetings overall. The two teams faced off on January 20th in Madison and that clash resulted in a 54-48 win for the Badgers.

Wisconsin boasts the best scoring defense in the Big Ten (fifth nationally), yielding a mere 56.7 ppg on 40.9 percent accuracy on field goal attempts. Offensively, the team is averaging 68.1 ppg to rank eighth in the conference, but the Badgers are the best free-throw shooting team in the Big Ten (.743), while serving as a middle-of-the-pack squad in shooting both from the floor overall (.447) and three-point range (.338). Trevon Hughes ranks in the top-10 in the league in scoring with his 15.5 ppg, and Jason Bohannon is in double figures as well with 10.8 ppg. Bohannon led all scorers in the recent win over Michigan State, hitting for 19 points, while Jordan Taylor added 17. Hughes had an off night, shooting just 2-of-9 to finish with five points, but he dished out seven assists, the Badgers tallying 17 helpers against only five turnovers in the game. Wisconsin shot 50.9 percent from the field and held the Spartans to 37.0 percent. The Badgers won the game despite being outscored at the foul line (13-2) and outrebounded (33-26).

Despite having talent on the roster, consistent production at the offensive end has been Michigan's downfall this season. The Wolverines are putting up just 66.2 ppg to rank ninth in the Big Ten, shooting a mere 41.8 percent from the field and a league-worst 29.5 percent from beyond the arc. Michigan is also last in the conference in rebounding margin (-2.0), but protects the ball well in averaging just 11 turnovers per outing. Manny Harris is the second- leading scorer in the Big Ten at 18.7 ppg, and DeShawn Sims, a 50.2 percent shooter, ranks fifth with 17.0 ppg and third in rebounding at 7.7 rpg. In the recent loss to Northwestern, Harris and freshman Darius Morris each scored 11 points, but Sims tallied a mere four points, going a disappointing 2-of-9 from the floor. As a team, Michigan connected on just 32.7 percent of its field goal attempts, which included a woeful 8-of-28 effort from three-point range. In contrast, the Wildcats hit 54.3 percent from the floor, and dropped half of their 20 three-point tries.

Although they have had trouble on the road this season, expect to see the Badgers play stingy defense once again, and for the Wolverines to have difficulty combating that effort. Wisconsin is a dangerous team -- just ask Michigan State -- and is poised to make a run at the Big Ten title, as well as make some serious noise come NCAA Tournament time.