With the No. 13 Wisconsin (3-1 overall) men's basketball team coming home to face the Detroit Titans (2-1) Saturday night in the Kohl Center, the Badgers certainly have a new meaning for the old saying, \There's no place like home.""
After a tough, physical overtime loss to No. 25 Maryland (4-0) Tuesday night, a game in which the Badgers got out-hustled and out-played by a smaller, faster, less-experienced Terrapin squad, the Kohl Center will certainly feel like a warm, inviting fireside nap compared to the hostility of the Comcast Center. But the Badgers cannot afford to take a nap against an experienced and crafty Detroit Titans team.
""They are a big-time caliber team,"" junior forward Mike Wilkinson said. ""They are going to go after loose balls, hit the boards. They are going to try to do everything they can to win the game. That's what you expect out of any team coming in to play. They've got a lot of great players, we just have to play our A game to win this game. We can't look past anybody.""
The Titans, like some other Horizon League teams that have seen success in the past few years, are marked by their scrappy style of play. The Detroit players are somewhat undersized (no player stands above 6'9'), but they make up for their lack of height by staying active on the boards and playing sound defense. The only blemish on the Titans' record came at the hands of Duke, but Detroit led for nearly 30 minutes and showed gumption and heart in the loss, only falling by 11 points, 67-56.
Detroit is an experienced team that is not afraid to go eight or nine guys deep. Seven players have averaged 20 minutes or more over their first three games, with no player averaging more than 30 minutes per contest.
Even with this depth, the Titans are paced by their elder classmen. The potent and capable backcourt of junior guard James Thues, a transfer from Syracuse University, and senior guard Rulon Harris has played well in the Titans' first three games. Thues leads the team in assists at 4.7 per game and is the Titans' most reliable three-point threat, while Harris is second on the team in scoring average, pitching about 10 points a game.
Senior forwards Willie Wallace and Elijah Warren may be small at 6'7' and 6'5', respectively, but both are incredibly active. Warren leads the team in scoring, bringing in 12 points a game and Wallace averages 6.7 rebounds a game.
Detroit has gotten good production out of a pair of sophomores early in the year as well. Forward Torvoris Baker is second on the team in rebounds, pulling in more than six a game, and guard Ben Green has filled in nicely for Thues at the point, dishing out almost four assists per game.
Detroit certainly held its own against Duke and notched two convincing victories over Western Michigan and Oakland. With shooting woes still nipping at the Badgers' heels (36 percent from the floor against Maryland), Detroit could give the Badgers a run if they come out with greater intensity to start the game. The Titans pride themselves in consistency and out-hustling opponents and will certainly be up for the challenge the Badgers present to their program.
""We know they're going to push it at us and play us tough and physical like any other team we're going to play against for the rest of the year,"" senior guard Freddie Owens said. ""We are just going to try and come out and run good offense and [play] solid defense, rebound and just try and pull out a win.\
