How to Watch Indiana's Game at Wisconsin on Thursday; Gametime, TV, Point Spread

Indiana is on a two-game winning streak in the Big Ten, but now it heads to its personal house of horrors, the Kohl Center in Madison. The Hoosiers haven't won up there since 1998.

MADISON, Wis. – When Bob Knight is the only Indiana basketball coach to win a game in the Kohl Center, you know it's been more than a minute since the Hoosiers have beaten Wisconsin up in the great white north.

Indiana played in the second-ever game in the beautiful new Kohl Center back on Jan. 25, 1998 and won behind Andrae Patterson (23 points) and A.J. Guyton (13). The Hoosiers haven't won there since, losing 17 games in a row in the building, the longest basketball losing streak in one building in Indiana school history.

A season ago, Indiana went to Wisconsin in early December with an 8-0 record and plenty of confidence, but got hammered 84-64 by a Badgers team that was was 4-4 at the time. Wisconsin jumped out to a quick 19-4 lead, led by 20 at halftime and had a 31-point lead at one point in the second half. 

That Wisconsin team wound up being Big Ten co-champions, clinching a tie with a win at Indiana on the final day of the regular season. 

*** FOLLOW THE LIVE BLOG HERE DURING THE GAME: CLICK HERE ***

It was ugly, but that can be said of a lot of IU games in this building. It will be interesting to see if it's any different Thursday night without 17,000 screaming Badgers fans.

Here are the particulars on Thursday's game:

• Who: Indiana Hoosiers (7-4, 2-2 in the Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (9-2, 3-1 in the Big Ten.
• When: 7 p.m. ET, Thursday, Jan. 7.
• Where: Kohl Center, Madison, Wis.
• Latest Line: Wisconsin is a 7.5-point favorite over Indiana, according to the DraftKings.com website as of 8 a.m. ET on Thursday.
• Poll rankings: Wisconsin is ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press top-25 poll and No. 10 in the Coaches poll. Indiana received two votes in the AP poll and was not mentioned at all in the Coaches poll.
• Kenpom.com rankings: Indiana moved up three spots to No. 21 in the Kenpom rankings after Monday's win over Maryland. Wisconsin is ranked No. 4, the highest of any Big Ten team, and behind only Gonzaga, Baylor and Villanova. This is Indiana's 10th game out of 12 this season against an opponent in the top-64.
• Series history: Indiana leads 96-77. Indiana has lost 17 straight games in Madison, dating back to a win on Jan. 25, 1998. Archie Miller is 1-5 vs. Wisconsin during his time at Indiana.
• Last meeting: Wisconsin swept Indiana last year, winning 84-64 on Dec. 7, 2019 in Madison and coming out on top in the second meeting with a 60-56 win on the final day of the Big Ten regular season on March 7 in Bloomington.
• TV: FOX Sports 1
• Announcers: Adam Amin and Stephen Bardo
• Radio: Indiana Radio Network
• Announcers: Don Fischer, Errek Suhr and Joe Smith
• Streaming: IUHoosiers.com/broadcast

Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers on Thursday:

1. Don't dig an early hole

There have been many Indiana games at Madison that were over before they started, and last year was no different. Fans or no fans, that just can't happen again.

This season, Indiana has struggled in the first half of several Big Ten games, trailing by 15 to Northwestern, and 10 to Maryland on Monday. The Badgers, a top-10 team all season, are great front-runners and they can bury you in a hurry. Indiana needs to get off to a quick start, and that starts with ...

2. Have Trayce Jackson-Davis engaged from the start 

... Trayce Jackson-Davis. The 6-foot-9 sophomore had 22 points and 15 rebounds on Monday, but that was after a brutal 2-for-9 start from the field. His great second-half performance needs to be a 40-minute thing in Madison, and some early scores will help carry his teammates, too.

That won't be easy, though, because the Badgers have handled him pretty well in his two games against Wisconsin. He scored only nine points in the loss at Madison, taking only six shots, and had just six points in the rematch in March. Wisconsin's size at the rim can be daunting, so hitting a few short-range jumpers might be a good approach for Jackson-Davis.

3. Replace Armaan Franklin's production

Archie Miller hasn't talked to the media since Monday night, so there is no update on the status of the sophomore guard, who rolled an ankle early in Indiana's win over Maryland and didn't return. But it's presumed that he won't play, and probably will miss Sunday's game at Nebraska, too. Purdue is next on the schedule – Jan. 14 in Bloomington – and that would be a likely goal for his return.

Franklin is Indiana's best defender and second-leading scorer (12.7 points per game), and that production will need to be replaced for Indiana to have a chance against Wisconsin. It will be interesting to see who starts. It's probably Rob Phinisee, but that depends on what kind of rotations Miller wants to use. Does Anthony Leal start instead? Or Jerome Hunter? There are lots of options.

Hunter got his first run at small forward Monday, but playing him with Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson can only last so long, because there's really no front-court depth beyond them. Replacing Franklin will have to be done by committee, for sure.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• NEXT STEP FOR ANTHONY LEAL: Indiana freshman Anthony Leal has been learning the ropes as a freshman, but the Bloomington native is ready to start making contributions for the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE
• TJD DIDN'T LET SLOW START DERAIL HIM: Against Maryland, Trayce Jackson-Davis got off to a slow start, but he finished the game with 22 and 15. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA TAKES DOWN MARYLAND: After going down double digits, Indiana basketball rallied in the second half to top Maryland Monday night. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA SCHEDULE: Here is Indiana's complete men's basketball schedule, including links to all the game stories and Tom Brew columns from the first 11 games so far this season. CLICK HERE