The NIU men’s basketball team and the Wisconsin Badgers are in the odd position of trying to rebound from opening victories.

Both teams enter tonight’s 7:05 p.m. contest at the Dane County Coliseum with 1-0 records after victories in which they felt they should have won by more points. NIU defeated Beloit 79-51 Friday and Wisconsin beat South Florida 58-55 Saturday.

NIU head coach Jim Rosborough, objecting to Monday’s front-page story in The Northern Star about an Iowa warrant for John Culbertson’s arrest, declined talking to the Star Monday morning about the Wisconsin game. However, at the Huskie Club Luncheon, Rosborough discussed how he had to motivate his team in the locker room at halftime of the Beloit contest.

“We were having a tough time with Beloit in the first half,” Rosborough said. “Sometimes what you’ve gotta do is take a shot at breaking your hand a couple of times to get their (the players’) attention. We have a table that’s not in as good of shape as it was.”

Wisconsin had to battle back from a 34-29 halftime deficit to overcome South Florida behind 17 points by junior Trent Jackson.

One area that worries Rosborough is the Badgers’ height advantage. Wisconsin has a cumulative six-inch advantage among starters.

“A lot of what happens at Wisconsin is out of our hands,” Rosborough said. “They’ve got some big guys inside. They’ll give us some problems underneath. A lot will depend on the boards, frankly. If we handle ourselves on the boards, which is an old trite saying, we’ll be all right.”

But despite the Badgers’ frontline of 6-foot-11-inch Kurt Portmann, 6-10 Darin Schubring and 6-6 Danny Jones, South Florida outrebounded Wisconsin 30-23. Schubring led the Badgers with seven boards.

Culbertson paced NIU with 10 rebounds as NIU beat Beloit 50-24 in that department.

Rosborough, in no uncertain terms, said his team will try to push the ball up the floor and get into its transition game tonight.

“We’ll attack them. We’ll run and gun,” Rosborough said. “If you don’t think we can run with this team, come up and take a look.”

All-Midwest candidate Rodney Davis leads the Huskies’ offense. Davis scored 22 points against Beloit on 9 of 12 shooting from the floor, including three 3-pointers, and one free throw. Randy Norman came off the bench to tally 14 for the Huskies.

History is on Wisconsin’s side as it leads the series 8-1. But tonight’s game is the Badgers’ first-ever in the Dane County Coliseum. It is the team’s first of three home games this year away from the Wisconsin Fieldhouse.

“This is a big game,” Rosborough said. “I’m sure everyone here would like to see us go up there and beat a Big Ten team.”

NIU is 3-21 overall against Big Ten teams.