After earning second-team honors on the AP’s All-America team last year, Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor entered this season amid high praise. He earned a multitude of preseason All-America honors.

He was the main reason Wisconsin entered the year with a top-15 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. But his 2011-12 campaign didn’t start off as strongly as the preseason accolades seemed to suggest that it would.

Losing All-American forward Jon Leuer and starter Keaton Nankivil, who were seniors last season, certainly changed the makeup of the team.

But when Taylor talked to ESPN.com this week, he didn’t blame his early struggles on the losses of key players or his offseason ankle surgery.

Those challenges never discouraged him.

The numbers prove it. In Big Ten play, he’s averaging 16.5 ppg and 3.4 apg, both top-10 marks in the league.

And as he prepares for his team’s biggest matchup of the season -- a Saturday afternoon battle against Ohio State in Madison -- he said the Badgers have yet to play up to their potential.

How big is Saturday’s home game against Ohio State?

Jordan Taylor: I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a big game. It’s for sole right to first place, at least for the day. … It’s a big game. But definitely, you don’t treat it like it’s different than any other game. You still have to prepare the same way for every game.

What stands out most from last year’s matchup in Madison, when the Badgers snapped then-No. 1 Ohio State’s unbeaten streak?

JT: Obviously, the fans rushing the court. It was a really fun day. And obviously beating the No. 1 team in the country was fun. That means absolutely nothing at this point. That was last year. We’re not concerned about that at this point. We’re a completely different team. They’ve got core guys back, but they’re a different team, too.

How much of an adjustment have you had to make without Leuer and Nankivil?

JT: Anytime you play with different guys, especially when you have to make such a quick switch because Jon and Keaton took up so many minutes last year … it’s always an adjustment. It’s been a fun adjustment. I think we’re still learning things about each other even to this day.

It’s a fun process. That’s what makes playing here so fun. You’ve always got guys that step into roles and excel.

The Badgers lost three Big Ten games in a row, but now your team is on a six-game winning streak. How did you reverse that 1-3 start?

JT: We lost three in a row, and for a second, I kind of had a flashback to freshman year when we lost six in a row in the Big Ten. [We just tried] to stay positive the whole time. If you would have been in our practices, we didn’t have the feel of a team that had lost three in a row. We obviously weren’t happy, but I feel like we always stayed positive. We knew we weren’t playing well, but we knew the only way to fix that was to stop digging the hole that we were in.

How much did you worry about your early struggles?

JT: I was never really worried about that. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate all the accolades. It’s an honor and everything, but at the end of the day, it’s more important to be where we are now. I’d take wins over accolades any day. All the seasons I’ve been here, even last year, I don’t think we’ve been in a position to play for first this late in the season since I’ve been here.

How did you shake the slump?

JT: I think at times I was just kind of forcing things. I just flat-out wasn’t making shots and wasn’t making plays. For me, I had to have a gut check, I guess. Keep staying aggressive and not get deterred. Keep trying to find ways to help my team win and not worry about statistical numbers.

I’ve always been someone who tries not to get too down on failures and not get too high on success. My cousin told me once that you can’t let success go to your head and failure go to your heart. You just keep trying, plugging away, keep trying to do what made you successful and go to your strengths.

Are you excited to face Aaron Craft (2.4 spg)?

JT: Aaron, he’s fun to play against. It was fun to play against him last year. He pushes you. It’s almost like you go into the game like you go into a workout in the summer. You’re trying to get better. A guy like that only makes you better. They bring out the best in you. And if they don’t bring out the best in you, they’re going to kick your butt. I think he would say the same.