The Matchup: Wisconsin (28-7) vs. Baylor (26-11)
When: Thursday, March 27 at 6:47pm CT
Where: Anaheim, CA (Honda Center)
TV: TBS
Radio: Badger Radio Network
All-Time Series: First Meeting
The Opposition:
Baylor comes in to the game with Wisconsin as one of the hottest teams in the country, going 8-2 in the last 10 games. They are also a very hot team in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Scott Drew, with an 8-3 all-time record in the tournament under him.
Not only are the Bears a hot team, they provide a huge test to Wisconsin’s team defense. The Bears have led by double digits in the first halves of every postseason game (conference and NCAA tournaments) they’ve played in, and the Badgers need to make sure that doesn’t happen if they want to avoid a loss.
The biggest issue will be dealing with a Baylor roster that is very even on the scoring front. While the team is averaging 75.2 points per game, no player averages over 13.6 points per game. However, just like the Badgers, it’s a complete team effort, with four players averaging in double figures.
Baylor forward Corey Jefferson (13.6ppg) leads the Bears in the scoring department, but he isn’t alone, as guards Brady Heslip (11.9ppg) and Kenny Chery (11.5ppg) and center Isaiah Austin (11.2ppg) round out the double-digit scorers.
While that may seem oddly familiar to Wisconsin fans, what is different is how the Bears go about their scoring, and that’s where UW could see some issues. The Bears are a team that loves to run and gun it, picking up the pace for opportunities around the rim or to suck defenses inside and leaving the guards to shoot from deep.
In the postseason, the Bears are shooting 41.9 percent from beyond the arc, which is 30th in the nation. But, even more impressive is their ability to get easy shots, resulting in them shooting 52.8 percent from the field (which is 6th nationally).
Matchup to Watch: Wisconsin bigs vs. Baylor bigs
It may seem cliché, but Wisconsin is looking in the mirror when it looks at what Baylor presents inside. 6-9 Corey Jefferson is a beast on the boards and a huge presence with the ball in his hand, while 7-1 center Isaiah Austin is much like UW’s Frank Kaminsky in that he can pull you away from the basket, take you off the dribble if need be and has a host of moves in the post as well.
Wisconsin may have to go away from it’s three guard lineup early in this game, because there is no one on the Badgers starting lineup that is even close to matching up to what Jefferson provides. That means there could be a huge role for freshman Nigel Hayes off the bench.
Look for how Hayes and Kaminsky handle things on the defensive end to be the key to this one. If they can’t keep Baylor from getting easy buckets inside it could be a long night in Anaheim.
Prediction: Wisconsin 77, Baylor 70
This game will be close, but in the end there’s one thing that separates these two teams and that’s the Badgers have the advantage in steady guard play. As long as UW is hitting its shots from the outside it will be fine. I see the Badgers finding a way to slow the game down just enough to make Baylor overwork on the defensive end and limit the Bears’ opportunity to get out and run.
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