Gophers men’s basketball vs. Wisconsin game preview: Broadcast info and analysis

vs. Wisconsin, Williams Arena, 6 p.m. Tuesday

TV; radio: BTN; 103.5 FM

For the fans: Tickets remain for Tuesday night’s border battle. It’s typically one of the better crowds each season at Williams Arena. Getting more Gophers fans in those seats has been on Ben Johnson’s mind this season.

Pregame reading: The Winter family was maroon and gold all the way — until young Nolan Winter committed to Wisconsin out of Lakeville North. Now the Badgers freshman returns to a familiar setting, Williams Arena, to take on the Gophers.

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Opening bell: The Gophers (12-6, 3-4 Big Ten) committed a season-high 19 turnovers without their starting point guard Elijah Hawkins in Thursday’s 76-66 loss at Michigan State. Gophers coach Ben Johnson called Hawkins’ sprained ankle not as serious as the injury that sidelined leading scorer Dawson Garcia for three games. But the nation’s assists leader isn’t cleared yet to play Tuesday against rival Wisconsin. The No. 13 Badgers (14-4, 6-1) suffered their only Big Ten loss last week at Penn State, giving up 62 points combined to the Nittany Lions’ backcourt. Wisconsin point guard Chucky Hepburn has just six points on 2-for-10 shooting in his past two games.

Watch him: Badgers guard AJ Storr leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game, but they got a huge boost from his backcourt teammate in Friday’s 91-79 win vs. Indiana. Max Klesmit scored 26 points to lead Wisconsin, including 23 in the second half. The former Wofford transfer can be an explosive scorer, also putting up 24 points in a win vs. Northwestern earlier this month.

Injuries: Hawkins (ankle) is questionable and might miss his second straight game Tuesday.

Forecast: The first Quad 1 win opportunity was squandered with last week’s Gophers loss at Michigan State. Starting Tuesday, Johnson’s squad still has four of its next six games against opponents that would be considered signature résumé wins. The Badgers are ranked No. 13 in the NET rankings as of Monday, which is the NCAA’s evaluation tool for the NCAA tournament. Minnesota is currently 0-2 in Quad 1 games with losses at Ohio State and against San Francisco at a neutral site.