Davidson's gamplan

We've been so worked up about what WE'RE going to do to Davidson that we haven't even talked about what they might do to us! So let's take a look. I don't have a lot to go on, by the way, but I'm giving it a shot...

• First of all, let's dispel the notion that they don't have any rebounding bigs - Andrew Lovedale, Thomas Sander and Boris Meno average 16.1 rebounds per game, with Meno being the defensive stopper. Expect him to rotate on Butch and Landry all game... and I expect him to stay on Landry when they're both in.
• They apparently play decent on-ball defense because of all the turnovers they create, but their perimeter defense is obviously lacking, what with the 22-for-46 they've allowed on 3's so far in the tournament. The looks are going to be there for us. They do a lot of "denying the post" as well, knocking entry passes away.
• Offensively, Curry and Richards (avg 8 ast a game this year) and Bryant Burr (41 percent from 3) might give us trouble. It won't be easy defending a few good shooters.
• Like I said before, Lovedale and Meno aren't slouches, so don't expect them to be a couple of stiffs down low - they score nearly 30 percent of the team's points.
• Last, remember this name: Max Paulus Gosselin. He's a 6-6 defensive stopper on the perimeter, and while they give up their fair share of threes, he's sure to stick on someone Friday. He was third in the Southern Conference in steals, and could stymie any one of Hughes, Flowers or JBo.

Also, I'm officially sick of seeing Curry everywhere. Just had to throw that in.

Davidson alum here, so go ahead and consider me biased.

Thomas Sander will probably get the primary assignment on Butch, with Steven Rossiter backing him up.  Boris and Andrew are a little quicker and also seem weaker in terms of establishing defensive position in the post, so they typically guard the opponent's 4-man. 

Davidson has done fairly well this year.  They've faced Roy Hibbert, Hansbrough, Heytvelt from Gonzaga, JJ Hickson from NC State, and Kevin Love, and the most any of them scored was 14.  Davidson often doubles the post after an entry pass and forces a kickout, basically daring the other team to beat them from the outside.  That's why Davidson lost to Western Michigan early in the year.  WMU went 12-22 from behind the 3-point line.

Davidson isn't a bad rebounding team.  They've averaged 36.6 boards per game this year versus your 36.0, though admittedly it's hard to compare Big Ten and Southern Conference stats.

CBS gave Davidson an edge in backcourt and Wisconsin an edge in frontcourt, which basically cancel each other out.  They gave Wisconsin a slight overall edge in the game based mostly on bench depth.  It should be a great game.  Given the comebacks that Davidson has had in the tourney so far, I advise you to remain worried if the Badgers have anything less than a 20 point lead at halftime.

Davidson guy - Thanks for the insight... that's exactly what we're looking for. Just a little bit of perspective!

Not that I don't want to give Davidson props for what they did against Georgetown but Georgetown isn't Wisonsin.  Wisconsin imposes game tempo against teams, Georgetown allows teams to impose the tempo against them.  Wisconsin will set the tempo with monster defense like they did against K-State and Cal-State Ful.

Look for a 12-15 point win for Wisconsin as we play great defense and score on them just as we have done all tourney.

I remember seeing Lovedale play some inspired minutes against Georgetown, and I think he's a good athlete with real verve and grit. So, that should be an interesting matchup when the Badgers are on defense. And I think Wisky bench depth will help us broaden the gap between frontcourt comparisions. The other big men, from what I saw, are pretty good, but our big men are pretty good, too, and we have more of them that can play significant minutes.

And I Spunix is right about three-point shots. If Davidson's are dropping, I only hope that Jbo and Hughes and Flowers can answer right back. Trading threes for twos for too long makes me uncomfortable, especially when I think about how much emotion can build when an "underdog" can get the crowd behind them, as might be the case for neutral fans in Detroit.

Does anyone have any gauge on how many buses or whatnot are headed to Ford Field from Madison?

Sounds about right to me, UWBalla, your assessment that most people are pulling for Davidson. They're a nice story for sure, but I don't think a possible hostile environment for the Badgers will bother them much. Do your part, though, like you said, and have a great time.

Jamasta - U R kidding me!!  This game will not be close - it's frickin Davidson!!!

They are hopelessly out sized and will be dominated in all  aspects of this game, particularly down low.

Thier only hope is to shoot 50%+ from 3 pt range and get 15+ turnovers from Bucky.

Butch and the Boyz underneath will dominate the boards.  Davidson is TOAST,

I like my Curry with a little Coconut cream, cilantro and tomatoes. 

U can expect Bucky, Flowers, & co will have their Curry on Floor with the rest of those in denial.  UW will blow them out....

to the post ahead of mine....are you serious...thats all i have to say

I know that sconnie has more depth at the big men, and they dont foul alot, but i think one thing that really hurt georgetown was the fact that hibbert played how many mins.? im not sure on the exact number but it was lower.

I think that the big men as well as the guards need to watch foul trouble.  that to me might be a big edge for a davidson team.  if we foul down low and even on the perimeter the charity stripe is the best way for them to start comebacks. 

I would love to see a big game out of JBo as we may need it if curry is making his shots.  Besides i just love the way he plays.

Wisconsin in a close game, 5-10 points.GO BADGERS!!!!!

Hibbert played 16 minutes and had 6 points before fouling out. But that's the thing about Hibbert, he was always slapping around when he needed to stand tall, arms up, and absorb the player's momentum. One of the most disciplined moves I've noticed on the Wisky D is that, when those snake-fast guards hit their jump-stop, the Wisky bigs don't go crashing down on them trying to tie the ball up. Instead, they stand straight up, arms all "freeze or I'll shoot," and force the usually smaller player to go over the top. That's one of the ways they avoid foul trouble on the inside.

Also, I think that there might be some inside offensive that the Badgers can exploit. I know that the Davidson bigs aren't statues, but I also think that Butch and Landry match up very well there. So, maybe Davidson too will need to think about their own foul trouble.