Over the past two college basketball seasons, few arenas have been more unfriendly to visiting squads as Wisconsin's Kohl Center.
Last season, the Badgers won every game they played in Madison, Wis. The last time they dropped a home game was Dec. 4, 2002, when they fell to Wake Forest.
Now the Badgers boast a 28-game home winning streak, which they will look to keep alive tomorrow night when No. 21 Wisconsin open their basketball season against Penn.
Wisconsin and Penn each opened its season against each other last year at the Palestra. The Quakers fell, 64-53.
This year's Badgers are a very different team from last year's Big Ten Tournament champions.
Gone is Big Ten Player of the Year Devin Harris, who opted to skip his senior season and declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft. He was chosen fifth overall and now starts for the Dallas Mavericks.
Harris' backcourt mate, Boo Wade, was thought to be able to step up and fill the void left by his departure. But Wade left the team earlier this season due to personal problems.
Forward Freddie Owens and center Dave Mader, both starters from a year ago, are also gone due to graduation.
Freshman Greg Stiemsma was expected to partly fill in for the loss of these two big men. However, he too will be absent from Saturday's game, as he injured his right foot in Wisconsin's exhibition game against Wisconsin-Parkside.
But don't be mistaken. This Badgers squad is not at a loss for talent.
The team's most dangerous weapon is senior forward Mike Wilkinson, a preseason All-Big Ten selection.
The 6-foot-8, 240 pound native of Blue Mound, Wis., was a thorn in Penn's side last year. He had nine points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes against the Quakers.
After facing first-team All-American Ryan Gomes last night, Penn's forwards will face an equally tough task in guarding Wilkinson, who has led the Badgers in rebounding the last three seasons.
Another returning player who gave the Quakers a hard time last season was forward Zach Morley, who came off the bench to score 12 points and grab nine rebounds.
Starting in his first game for the Badgers tomorrow will be 6-foot-1 shooting guard Sharif Chambliss, who transferred to Wisconsin last year from Penn State.
Chambliss, however, is no stranger to Penn. He visited the Palestra on Nov. 23, 2002, when the Quakers opened their season against the Nittany Lions.
The Racine, Wis., native had a horrible game, shooting 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-7 from three-point land in his 29 minutes of play.
The only Wisconsin starter that the Quakers have yet to see in person is 6-foot-5 junior swingman Alando Tucker.
After an impressive freshman season in 2002-03, in which he started 27 games, Tucker should have started at the Palestra last season. But a foot injury kept him out of the lineup for most of last season.
The Quakers and Badgers have faced off five times in history, dating all the way back to Dec. 18, 1930. The last time Penn visited Madison was on Dec. 29, 1965, when the Badgers won, 84-70.
Wisconsin has won all five matchups against the Quakers.
The Badgers are 16-6 all-time against Ivy League opponents, last losing to an Ancient Eight squad on Dec. 28, 1985, to Princeton. The Tigers won that game, 54-49.
Expectedly, Penn has struggled recently against top 25 opponents.
The last time the Quakers upset a ranked team was Nov. 29, 1998, when Penn defeated then-No. 6 Temple, 73-70.
For the Quakers to get the upset, they have to get better play from captain Tim Begley.
The senior guard had just six points in 28 minutes last night against Providence, as the Friars concentrated on shutting down the Quakers' best player.
This was a sharp decline from the 22 points he tallied in the team's season opener against Quinnipiac on Tuesday.
Tomorrow's game will be Penn's third game in five days. The team returned to Philadelphia early this morning and then caught a flight to Wisconsin a few hours later.
The Quakers must return quickly from Madison, however, as they have a game against Drexel on Tuesday at the Palestra.
