Senior forward Nigel Hayes and the rest of No. 17 Wisconsin’s (4-1 Big Ten, 14-3 overall) starters spent a large portion of Monday afternoon’s practice competing against players in navy blue jerseys. The Michigan Wolverines (2-3, 12-6) are in town Tuesday evening, and in preparation, the Badgers’ core rotation worked diligently to defeat their own scout team wearing Michigan’s primary color.
Jordan Hill, Aaron Moesch, Aleem Ford, Charles Thomas IV and Andy Van Vliet, were the starters’ main foes though. And not surprisingly, Wisconsin’s starting unit fared quite well. Tuesday, when the experienced Wolverines visit Madison, the Badgers hope to mimic their success from Monday’s practice and stifle a much-improved Wolverine offense.
Michigan is coming off a 91-point performance in a wire-to-wire victory over Nebraska. Led by six seniors, the Wolverines average 77 points per game in conference play, a mere 2.6 points behind the conference-leading Cornhuskers.
After averaging a pedestrian 8.5 points per game in non-conference play, junior forward D.J. Wilson has emerged as Michigan’s most consistent scoring threat in Big Ten play, averaging 16.6 points per game, including 28 points in Michigan’s overtime loss to Iowa.
Wilson though is just one of the Wolverine’s potential offensive threats. Senior forward Moritz Wagner poses another major challenge for the Badgers around the rim. Senior guards Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin serve as matchup problems on the perimeter. All four have led the Wolverines in scoring this season.
Enter Wisconsin’s elite defense that looks to slow down Michigan’s improved offense.
“Scoring has not been an issue for them,” head coach Greg Gard said Monday at his weekly press conference. “That’ll be a huge challenge for us into how much stress they put on the defense in all five positions.”
The Badgers have not only one of the Big Ten’s best defenses though, but one of the best defenses in the country.
Led by Hayes, senior guard Zak Showalter and redshirt sophomore forward Ethan Happ, UW gives up a conference-best 60.2 points per game. Showalter and Happ have continued to pester opponents, ranking second and third in the Big Ten in steals per game respectively.
Wisconsin’s defensive versatility has been a major reason why the Badgers have fared so well on that end of the floor. Hayes can guard all five positions and UW has both the wings and frontcourt to players to match up with opponents using either big or small lineups.
Tuesday, Gard expects the Badgers to play big, matching up with Wilson and Wagner in the paint.
“The two big guys give them a dimension that can stretch the floor and play inside,” Gard said.
Walton Jr. and Irvin also present the Badgers with problems. Michigan’s backcourt helps lead a team that commits the fewest turnovers per game in the nation.
The Wolverines also seldom foul, committing a NCAA-fewest 14.2 per game.
Michigan seldom beats itself. But an equally experienced UW team knows what to expect.
The Badgers’ core faced off against a team wearing navy blue Monday afternoon. They fared quite well. Tuesday at 8 p.m., they look to make their practice victory count for real.
The Daily Cardinal Calculator gives the Badgers a 79.9 percent chance of winning.
