By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Fran McCaffery will almost certainly have some words of inspiration for his players in the moments before Saturday’s game against Wisconsin at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

But he won’t rely on bulletin-board material to get his message across to his players.

Fran McCaffery certainly would have that opportunity, considering what Wisconsin guard Kamari McGee said to the media after the Badgers made 21 3-point baskets and crushed Iowa 116-85 on Jan. 3 in Madison, Wisconsin.

McGee said they knew Iowa didn’t want to play defense and they took advantage of that.

Fran McCaffery was asked at a press conference on Thursday if he planned to mention what McGee said after the first game to motivate his players, and he answered with just one word.

“No,” Fran McCaffery said.

He was then asked if the bulletin-board narrative is more of media creation, and if his players believe in it.

“I don’t know. You’d have to asked them,” Fran McCaffery said before bursting into laughter.

Fran McCaffery then made it abundantly clear where he stands on using bulletin-board material to motivate his players.

“I am the most anti-bulletin board guy,” he said. “I always get a kick out of that. It’s always like we’re going to play really hard. But because somebody said something, we’re going to play, really, really, really hard.

“There’s only one way to play. And that’s what we try and do.”

And while Fran McCaffery doesn’t seem too concerned about McGee’s post-game comments, senior center Even Brauns feels differently.

“We’re all of aware of kind what went on and everything that was said,” Brauns said. “Not that we needed any extra motivation for this game. It’s always competitive with those guys. They play really hard, really physical. And, obviously, I just mentioned about the score (of the first game) and no one wants to get embarrassed like that.

“So, to be honest, we don’t need extra motivation from something like that. But it is on the forefront of some guys’ minds.”

Iowa graduate guard Drew Thelwell also said just a few days after the first loss to Wisconsin that McGee’s comments struck a nerve with the Iowa players.

Senior center Riley Mulvey apparently is an exception as he said Thursday that he wasn’t aware of McGee’s comments after the first game.

Iowa left itself open for criticism by playing so poorly on defense in the first game against Wisconsin.

“Now granted, they were on fire, but our defense has to better than it was that night,” Fran McCaffery said. “And sometimes it’s function of poor shot selection, poor ball movement on offense that leads to opportunities in transition because they run a lot more now than they have before, and they’ve got a team that can do that.

“They’re also a team that has eight or nine guys that can make threes. So, they’re not an easy team to guard.”

Adding to the challenge for Iowa is that sophomore forward Owen Freeman, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, is out for the rest of the season after having surgery on a finger on his right shooting hard,

Freshman forward Cooper Koch also is expected to miss the Wisconsin game on Saturday due to an ongoing health issue.

Iowa has lost five of its last six games and is 4-7 in Big Ten play and 13-9 overall.

So, it goes without saying that Iowa’s chance of making the NCAA Tournament is in serious jeopardy barring a sudden turnaround.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, is on course to make the NCAA Tournament with records of 18-5 overall and 8-4 in the conference.

The Badgers have had an eight-game and a seven-game winning streak this season, but are just 3-4 in true road games with road losses at Rutgers, USC and Northwestern.

Four Wisconsin players are averaging in double figures, led by Jon Tonje’s 18.5 per-game average.

The Badgers are the No.1 free throw shooting team in the nation, making 84.1 percent of their attempts.

Wisconsin is also second in the Big Ten (behind Iowa), making an average of 10.1 3-pointers per game.

Wisconsin (185, 8-4) vs. Iowa (13-9, 4-7)

When: Saturday, noon.

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena

TV: NBC

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

All-time series: Saturday’s game is the 177th game in the all-time series between Iowa and Wisconsin. The Badgers lead, 90-86.

The Hawkeyes have won three of the last four meetings over Wisconsin in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including an 88-86 overtime victory a season ago.

The last two Iowa-Wisconsin games in Iowa City have both gone to overtime and both were decided by a single possession.