GAME NOTES: The 11th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are heavily favored in tonight's Big Ten Conference clash, as they welcome the struggling Michigan Wolverines to town. Michigan has lost its last two games and seven of the last eight to fall to 5-13 overall and 1-5 in conference action. The home crowd watched in disappointment on Saturday as the Wolverines dropped a 68-60 decision to Iowa. They are now 5-13 overall and 1-5 in league play. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is playing outstanding basketball, as the squad has won its last nine games to improve to 15-2 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten action. The Badgers are coming off a 62-50 decision over Northwestern on Saturday, the club's fifth straight double- digit victory. Michigan owns an 86-57 lead in the all-time series with Wisconsin, but the Badgers hold a 40-32 edge in Madison.

Michigan is scoring 65.4 ppg this season on 41 percent shooting from the floor, and that output could certainly stand some improvement. Defensively, the club is giving up 71.3 ppg on 40.6 percent shooting from three-point range by the opposition. Manny Harris is the leading scorer for the Wolverines, as he is netting 15.9 ppg despite the fact that he has only connected on 38.4 percent of his field goal attempts. The only other double-digit scorer in the lineup is DeShawn Sims, as he is netting 13.8 ppg. In the eight-point loss to Iowa last time out, Sims scored 18 points, while Harris and Jevohn Shepherd both added 11. Unfortunately, the Wolverines were outscored 15-5 from the foul line and outrebounded by a 37-25 margin.

Wisconsin is scoring 71.3 ppg this season while limiting the opposition to 54.1 ppg on 38.2 percent shooting from the field. The Badgers are outrebounding foes by 9.0 rpg as well, an obvious key to success. The leading scorer for the club is Trevon Hughes, who is posting 13.3 ppg. Brian Butch is close behind with 13.1 ppg and 7.8 rpg, and Marcus Landry is scoring 10.9 ppg. Landry scored 21 points on Saturday to lead Wisconsin over Northwestern. Joe Krabbenhoft tallied 13 points and nine rebounds, and Michael Flowers contributed 11 points. Hughes and Butch combined to hit only one shot from the floor, but the Badgers still won by double figures. They finished the game with a 24-10 edge in points from the foul line and a 29-21 rebounding advantage.

There is no reason to believe that Michigan will be able to knock off Wisconsin in Madison tonight. Expect the Badgers to jump on top early and never look back.