Wisconsin scouting report: In typical Big Ten fashion, Bo Ryan and his Badgers want to grind out victories, which is exactly what they did against Manhattan and Boston College in the first two rounds of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.

Wisconsin defeated Manhattan Thursday, 50-35, despite shooting just 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the field and 5-of-21 from three-point range (including 1-of-13 in the first half). The halftime score was Wisconsin 17, Manhattan 10.

The Badgers used a 26-2 run against Boston College to build a 60-38 lead, but the Eagles made it interesting before finally succumbing, 65-55. Once again, the Badgers struggled from beyond the arc, missing nine of 10 shots in the first half before finishing 3-of-16 for the game.

After knocking off Prairie View A&M (99-55) and North Dakota (85-53) to open the 2010-11 campaign, the Badgers traveled to UNLV where they dropped a 68-65 decision to the Runnin' Rebels. Wisconsin held a 37-29 rebounding edge, but made just 6-of-20 from three-point range while turning the ball over 15 times to nine assists.

Wisconsin is led by 6-foot-10, 230-pound senior Jon Leuer, who is averaging 18.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the free-throw line. He also has hit 50 percent (8-of-16) of his three-point attempts.

Jordan Taylor, a 6-foot-1 junior, is a steady complement to Leuer in the scoring column, averaging 13.2 points. Josh Gasser, a 6-foot-4 freshman, was not in the starting lineup when the season began. But he's there now with 11.0 scoring and 6.0 rebounding averages. He scored 21 points off the bench against Prairie View A&M.

Keaton Nankivil, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound senior, does much of the dirty work for the Badgers. He is averaging 6.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Sophomores Ryan Evans and Mike Bruesewitz combine for 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds with Evans coming off the bench. Six-foot-six senior Tim Jarmusz contributes 4.0 points per game.

Wisconsin is an excellent free-throw shooting team, converting 80.5 percent of its attempts.

- Notre Dame vs. Cal: Much like the Badgers, the Irish struggled finding their shooting stroke in second-round action of the Old Spice Classic. Notre Dame led Cal, 21-5, at halftime before settling for a 57-44 victory.

Incredibly, the Irish missed 19 of 20 three-point attempts and still managed to win by double figures. The Irish shot just 27.8 percent (15-for-54) from the field. Cal was much worse in the first half, shooting 2-of-25 (8.0 percent). They finished the game at 26.2 percent.

Carleton Scott scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but he was 5-for-17 from the field, including 0-for-9 from three-point range. Tim Abromaitis returned to his shooting woes, connecting on just 2-of-10 from the field while missing all four of his three-point attempts.

Tyrone Nash and Scott Martin each had 11 points for the Irish. Martin connected on 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. His teammates were 19-of-29 (65.5 percent) from the charity stripe.

Pointspread: Wisconsin by 3 ½ 

Prister's Prediction: Wisconsin 65, Notre Dame 59

Season record: 6-0 straight up; 2-1 vs. points