Badgers seek revenge for Rec Hall blowout

Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett knows all about the emotion involved in playing the final game on sacred ground.

He knows about the feeling and the spirituality gripping the fans' hearts as they watch the players sink their last buckets in an arena filled with so much tradition.

He knows these things all too well, because on Jan. 7, 1996, Penn State crushed his Badgers 79-50 in the last game ever played at Rec Hall.

"I was just glad to get out of there alive," Bennett said. "They played inspired basketball. I remember the snow and how our charter got out of there, while most people were stranded, but we were beaten rather soundly."

Bennett will have his chance to get revenge as Wisconsin faces Penn State at 7 p.m. today at the UW Field House. The game, televised by ESPN2, will be the last men's basketball contest at the Field House.

"There are a lot of things, there are a lot of distractions, I think, that go with the opening and closing of a new place, and obviously there are a lot of emotions," Nittany Lion coach Jerry Dunn said. "I thought the biggest task was trying to get our team to concentrate on the task at hand in terms of preparing for Wisconsin and not really get caught up in the moment and the hoopla that surrounded both the closing and the opening of The Bryce Jordan Center."

The nostalgia of the Field House is no different for Bennett.

"This has been the place for a long time," Bennett said of the building that has hosted events since 1930. "I don't think the players are aware of the past and the history of the Field House. I came to games here as a high school player and later as a high school coach and when I was at UW-Green Bay. I feel like I grew up in that place."

The similarities of these two squads don't end at sacred arenas. Both the Lions and the Badgers lost their starting point guards for the season. Penn State's Dan Earl tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Dec. 6 and Badger guard Ty Calderwood took a medical redshirt on Dec. 16 due to discomfort in his left knee.

"They, as we have at times, have had trouble scoring in the first half and that's a reflection upon what the point guard brings to a particular team," Dunn said. "It really disrupts the consistency, the flow, the other players' confidence and it takes a little while to get that back."

Penn State got back to its winning ways beating Minnesota last weekend for its first Big Ten win. The Lions also ended a four-game losing streak.

For the Lions to be successful, guard Pete Lisicky said the offense has to penetrate the Badger defense.

"They're a really good defensive team, but we have to take care of the ball on offense and try to score some points. We're just going to have to make sure we come to play and take care of the things we can take care of -- taking care of the ball, playing hard and playing smart."