There was no such Madness in the West region. No. 1 seed Wisconsin weathered an early storm from North Carolina to advance to the regional final. Their dance partners, No. 2 Arizona also had to outhustle feisty Xavier in the Sweet 16.
It’s going to be a matchup between two of the best teams in the nation. Will the Wildcats’ high-octane pace topple the resilient Badgers? Read on as we break down this Elite 8 showdown.
Keep an eye on this particular side of the bracket. Check out our complete preview for the Midwest’s Kentucky vs. Notre Dame.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 2 Arizona Wildcats Preview
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
When: Saturday, March 28, 6:09 PM ET
Line: No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No.2 Arizona Wildcats – view all March Madness lines
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers had quite a scare against North Carolina in the Sweet 16. A late run in the final 10 minutes helped the highly-touted Badgers win, 79-72, on Thursday night.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Sam Dekker had a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds to lift Wisconsin to the crucial win. He should be quite a challenge for Arizona’s formidable defense which allows just 59 points per game, 14th in the nation. Dekker has been hot in the tournament, averaging 20 points per game.
Dekker has quite a solid frontcourt partner in seven-footer Frank Kaminksy. The senior forward has been a slow starter over the past couple of games, but he can still turn it on when the Badgers need him the most. He’s averaging 20.7 points on 55 percent shooting in the tournament thus far.
Aside from providing much needed offense, the two also have a dominant presence on the rebounding end. They combined for 13.5 of the Badgers’ 33.7 rebounds per game this season. Getting on the boards will be even more crucial against Arizona. The Wildcats are one of the best rebounders in the nation with 37.2 boards per game (45th).
Controlling the boards should help the Badgers keep up with Arizona’s furious pace. The Wildcats are averaging 68.4 possessions per game this season (112th in the nation). In contrast, the Badgers average just 61 possessions per game (346th).
The Badgers are 10-6 ATS against non-conference opponents.
Betting on the Arizona Wildcats
T.J. McConnell has been lights out at the tournament so far. Second-seeded Arizona also has him to thank for lifting the team to victory against pesky Xavier. McConnell shook off a terrible first half, and the Wildcats moved on to the Elite 8 with a 68-60 win on Thursday night.
McConnell scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. He was all over the court against Xavier finishing with seven rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal. The senior guard should be able to put a furious pace on a slow-starting Wisconsin side, considering he finds his shot early. He should be able to do so as he had shot 62 percent before making just 6-of-14 field goal attempts against Xavier.
Aside from his scoring abilities, facing Wisconsin may highlight McConnell’s playmaking. His 6.4 assists per game ranks 10th in the entire nation. With an excellent guard running point, Gabe York, Kaleb Tarczewski and Stanley Johnson should all be due for big games against Wisconsin.
York could bury several threes against a sketchy Wisconsin three-point defense. The Badgers have allowed opponents to shoot 52 percent from downtown over the course of the tournament. York has gone 8-for-17 from beyond the arc across the past two games.
York’s outside shot should be nicely complemented by the excellent inside offense from Tarczewski and Johnson. The seven-foot Tarczewski is averaging 11 points per game in the tournament. Meanwhile, Johnson, despite putting up a measly four points against Ohio State, is averaging 12.7 points per game.
Finding the open shots from all over the floor should help Arizona unravel a Wisconsin defense which allows just 57.2 points per game.
Arizona is on a 14-game win streak, going 10-4 against the spread.
Writer’s Prediction
Arizona makes its way to Indianapolis after a big win against Wisconsin.
March Madness is nearing its spectacular conclusion. Create a betting account now and capitalize on the biggest games of the Big Dance.
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