It's Senior Day in Madison and as we wrote yesterday it'll be a chance as fans to say our goodbye to five of the most underrated and under appreciated players in Badgers history. No, seriously, give that piece a read - there are a few nuggets that you may not realize about this class. Challenging No. 17 Wisconsin will be the Boilermakers of Purdue - a team we haven't actually faced yet this season in the Big Ten. 

That alone is hard to believe considering the fact that we are just three games away from the end of the season and all, right? Wisconsin and Purdue have split the last six meetings, but UW holds a 46-36 advantage in games played in Madison. Purdue does lead the all-time series at 104-65 which shouldn't be that shocking considering how awful UW basketball was for about 50 years and how good Purdue basketball has always been.

So, as Wisconsin says goodbye at home to Jared Berggren, Mike Bruesewitz, Ryan Evans, Dan Fahey, and J.D. Wise let's take a look at what is in store for them on Sunday afternoon with a tip at noon on ESPN, shall we? 

"Parting is such sweet sorrow," - I believe those were words of one famous writer named William Shakespeare and they are famously quoted a lot - however the other half of that quote is "...that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.” That entire quote seems appropriate given that Wisconsin will say goodbye to five seniors, yet know their goals are far from finished.

On Sunday Badger fans will send off one of the most underrated and perhaps under appreciated classes in the Bo Ryan era. UW will honor starters Jared Berggren, Mike Bruesewitz, and Ryan Evans along with walk-ons Dan Fahey and J.D. Wise one last time and they should be remembered fondly. Yet, there job isn't quite finished yet. 

After all, the Big Ten regular season championship is still possible and a high seed in the NCAA tournament is nearly a guarantee. Clearly their last act hasn't been written just yet. 

This is also a group that has come a long, long way to get to where they are. You could say that as a group there is one word that means more to them than any other - Perserverance.

It is being reported by Jim Polzin of the Wisconsin State Journal that Badgers senior forward Ryan Evans left Thursday's practice with a right knee injury. 

When asked about it UW training staff is quoted as saying that the severity of the injury was unknown and he is currently listed as day-to-day. 

Should this be a major knee issue this puts an interesting spin on the Badgers' end of the season to say the least. Evans has started 64 consecutive games in his Wisconsin career and the status for this weekend's Senior night could be in serious jeopardy. 

Evans is coming off of a 14 point game, one in which he debuted a jump shot free throw routine that yielded 100% accuracy. On the year his is averaging 10.5 points per game (3rd on the team) and leads UW in rebounding, averaging 7.6 boards a game. 

Who replaces Evans in the lineup should he not be able to go? The most likely candidate to do so would be freshman Sam Dekker, who has started three games this season in place of the injured Mike Bruesewitz. He is averaging 9.5 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game, and is shooting 44.8% from behind the arc.

He is also averaging 22 minutes a game and is coming off the best game of his career, scoring 19 points in Tuesday's win over Nebraska. 

Keep up to date with the latest on this injury and all things Badgers by following us on Twitter @MTBadgers and via our Facebook page.

Wisconsin scored 44 points.... In the first half - the most they've scored in any half all season long as they opened up a 21 point lead at the half and never looked back in taking down Nebraska, 77-44, and more importantly keep the Badgers in the Big Ten title race. 

Sam Dekker lead all scores for the Badgers with 19 points. He lead all scorers period in the 1st half with 13 points on 4-5 shooting and added three big time assists. He hit 3-4 from behind the arc and also grabbed a rebound in that half. 

Wisconsin has now won three straight games by 20 or more points and seems to be hitting it's stride at just the right time of the season.

Nebraska was paced by Dylan Talley and his game high 21 points, but outside of him Wisconsin kept the Huskers in check. 

All this does is set up a tricky battle with a Purdue team that has played well at times, but terrible at others all Big Ten season. 

So, let's get right into the player grades and thoughts from tonight's game, shall we?

After nearly a week off, the #17 ranked Wisconsin Badgers (19-8, 10-4) are back in action Tuesday night to host the Nebraska Huskers (13-14, 4-10) at the Kohl Center. BTN has TV coverage with tip-off at 8:00 PM CT.

These two squads met on January 6th in Lincoln for Wisconsin's first B1G road game of the year. The Badgers and Huskers both debuted their alternate "Bleed Out" Adidas uniforms for the game (pictured above), and they'll be wearing these threads again for tonight's game.

The last meeting was a classic defensive battle that was played while the Badgers were still looking for answers on the offensive side of the ball. The Badgers controlled momentum for most of the game, until a Husker three pointer with 6:19 to play gave Nebraska their first lead of the game. Wisconsin showed their first signs of incredible resiliency that game, battling back and holding Nebraska to just one made basket the rest of the game. Despite 37.7% shooting, the Badgers came out of Lincoln with a 47-41 victory.

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin senior forward Jared Berggren has been selected as one of 30 finalists for the 2013 Naismith Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club has announced. The award is given annually to the college basketball player of the year.

Berggren, who has started all 27 games for the Badgers this season, leads the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) and ranks second in rebounding (7.0 rpg), having posted a pair of double-doubles in Big Ten play. Berggren is one of just three players to rank among the Big Ten’s top 20 scorers and top 10 rebounders.

The senior is also closing in on Rashard Griffith’s career blocks (124) record at Wisconsin, needing just two to tie and three to take the top spot in UW annals. On the season, Berggren ranks second in the Big Ten with 1.9 blocks per game.

This is the third year in a row that Wisconsin has had a player selected as one of 30 finalists for the award as Jon Leuer (2011) and Jordan Taylor (2012) were previously recognized.

The top 30 candidates were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances to this point in the 2013 men’s college basketball season. In late March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow down the list to four finalists. The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded on April 7, 2013 in Atlanta.

The Badgers have had two players in school history be named a finalist for the award, Devin Harris in 2004 and Alando Tucker in 2007.

Other notable Naismith Trophy alumni include a pair of three-time winners in Bill Walton (1972, 73, 74) and Ralph Sampson (181, 82, 83), Michael Jordan (1984), Kevin Durant (2007) and last year’s winner, Anthony Davis of Kentucky. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s best player.

Per UW Athletic Communications

Both Andy and I saw tonight's contest with Northwestern as a "trap game"- one the Badgers were heavily favored in, against a dangerous Wildcat team that certainly could beat UW. Well, it turns out we were both horribly wrong. 

The Badgers (19-8, 10-4) took care of business against a crippled Northwestern team (13-14, 4-10), getting a 69-41 win in Evanston. Wisconsin got out to an early 9-0 lead and never looked back, holding an advantage the whole game. 

Let's jump right in to the player grades for tonight's contest.

Player Grades:

Player	Stats/Thoughts	Grade
Ben Brust, G	12pts, 8 rebounds, 4-9FG's, 3-7 3pt FG's, 2 assists, 1 TO, 32min. Ben Brust continues to do great things on the basketball floor, even with his sore knee. After missing his first three shots, Brust finished the game shooting 4-6 and knocking down 3 treys.  Brust's play will be absolutely crucial to the Badgers' postseason success.
Ryan Evans, F	4pts, 4 rebounds, 1-6FG's, 2-5FT's, 1 assist, 2TO's, 26 min. Ryan Evans didn't do a ton tonight, and Wisconsin's offense cooked nicely without his occasional awful shot. Evans would get a better grade from me, but he air balled a free throw that was about 3 feet short.
Mike Bruesewitz, F	6pts, 5 rebounds, 2-6 FG's, 0-2 3pt FG's, 4 assists, 2 TO's, 33min. Mike Bruesewitz does the same thing every game, and it helps the Badgers win. If the Senior can really key in his outside shot for the tournament, watch out.
Traevon Jackson, G	8pts, 1 rebound, 2-3 FG's, 4-6 FT's, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 TO, 26min. Though he didn't put up huge numbers, Jackson played arguably his best game of the season. He was efficient, made a ton of hustle plays, and hit a big buzzer beater at the end of the first half. It was a nice game for the young PG.
Jared Berggren, F	12pts, 8 rebounds, 5-9 FG's, 0-1 3pt FG's, 2 assists, 1 3 steals 25 min. The Wildcats had absolutely no answer for Berggren inside, and the Senior took advantage of it. He hit a number of finesse shots off of good post moves and really took advantage of Northwestern's zone.
George Marshall, G	3pts, 1-3 FG, 1 TO, 19 min. George played considerable minutes tonight but still was not able to produce offensively. He made a very nice contested three point shot, but besides that nothing else was going for the Chicago native.	N/A
Sam Dekker, F	10pts, 3 rebounds, 4-5FG's, 0-1 3pt FG's, 1 assist, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 18 min. Dekker had a nice game, not forcing anything offensively while also playing good defense and contributing to the rebounding effort. Dekker's basketball IQ seems to be improving game after game.
Frank Kaminsky, F	8pts, 2-5 FG's, 1-3 3PT's, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 TO, 2 steals, 13 min. Since returning from his eye injury, Kaminsky has really helped the Badgers in rebounding and depth. Despite missing several games, Kaminsky isn't missing a beat while on the floor.

3 Takeaways

- In all of their previous significant victories, the Badgers had disappointingly loss their next contest. Tonight Wisconsin came out energized and determined to get a victory, and their effort was evident on both sides of the ball.

- Wisconsin really took advantage of their size in this contest and it paid off. The Badgers out-rebounded Northwestern 43-19 (!), including grabbing 14 offensive rebounds to Northwestern's 4. Rebounding is something the Badgers have excelled at and it will be key to keep up the success as they head towards the post season.

- The Badgers' offense the past few games has been extremely effective and efficient. Tonight the Badgers really looked to get the ball inside and it worked wonderfully for them, as they shot 46% on the game. When the Badgers rely on the three point shot, they aren't a good team. When they look for easy buckets, they win ball games. Simple as that.

Wisconsin now has almost a week off, their next game will be against Nebraska next Tuesday at the Kohl Center.