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NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview: Wisconsin Goes For Back-to-Back Final Fours

By Nathan Giese

Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players and cheerleaders and mascot Bucky celebrate after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players and cheerleaders and mascot Bucky celebrate after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 21, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) grabs his knee after suffering an injury against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half of a game in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) grabs his knee after suffering an injury against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half of a game in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Wisconsin-North Carolina Preview

Bo Ryan leads his Badgers into battle and are looking to make history together. Standing in the way of Wisconsin making back-to-back Final Fours is North Carolina, who’s trying to overcome the up-and-down seasons of the last two years and help the school forget about possible major sanctions from the NCAA in the near future.

Here’s the latest status on Kennedy Meeks:

Quick Facts:

Wisconsin has won eight straight games and only suffered two losses in the 2015 calendar year. They are undefeated on neutral courts this year, going 8-0.

North Carolina has won five of their last six and seven of their last nine games since getting off to a rocky start this season. The Tar Heels are 9-2 in neutral court games this year.

What to Look For:

This game, which could’ve been the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game back in November had Carolina not lost to Butler in the opening game, will be determined by the interior play of both teams. Unfortunately, the Tar Heels will be likely be without their top interior presence in Kennedy Meeks.

Meeks suffered a sprained knee in the win over Arkansas. Roy Williams said that Meeks hasn’t fully been ruled out for the game, but he’s listed as doubtful to go right now. Going against Frank Kaminsky without Meeks makes UNC’s game plan a little bit harder.

Kaminsky, a front runner for the Wooden Award, feasts of smaller defenders inside. Though Meeks has slimmed down considerably, he’s still a big body to get in the way of Kaminsky getting easy looks at the basket and has the footwork to keep up with the Wisconsin big man.

However, this does make for an interesting replacement situation as Kaminsky can also shoot the three, which Meeks isn’t great with defending against.

The question for Carolina now is who takes the minutes from Meeks. Isaiah Hicks and Joel James will likely split the time, much like they do already. Their minutes will go up for this game, but who plays more will depend on who can contain Kaminsky the best.

Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) shoots against the Oregon Ducks during the second half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) shoots against the Oregon Ducks during the second half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Key to the Game:

With Meeks potentially on the shelf, UNC will need big games from its guards. Most of Wisconsin’s offensive production comes from a combination of Kaminsky, Dekker and Hayes. To counter that, the Tar Heels’ guards Paige, J.P. Tokoto and Jackson.

Paige makes the offense go, but they’ll need solid production from Tokoto and Jackson to counter what will be a difficult matchup for their point guard, who will likely be defended by Josh Gasser. Gasser can be defeated, but he’s the best perimeter defender the Badgers have in their arsenal.

One of the key matchups will likely be Dekker against Brice Johnson. Those two, while playing mostly second fiddle, have been on fire lately, as mentioned in the Players to Watch section. Both teams are very well balanced offensively, but the offenses run through Paige and Kaminsky.

It’ll take great efforts from Johnson and Dekker for either team to make the impact they need to win the game and advance.

Of course, when you have players you trust the most, you usually go to them to get things going. That means this game, even with all the talented players surrounding them, will come down to Kaminsky and Paige. Whoever can lead their team, get open shots for their teammates and be the star we’re accustomed to seeing will have the edge.

Prediction:

Meeks misses the game, putting Isaiah Hicks in the starting rotation as his replacement. Wisconsin goes to work on the Kaminsky-Hicks matchup early. UNC tries to counter by using quick double teams in the post when he touches the ball, but Frank The Tank’s passing ability makes them rethink the strategy.

Justin Jackson steps up in a major way, providing the Tar Heels with the spark they need to take the pressure off of Paige. Unfortunately, Johnson being in foul trouble throughout the game puts the pressure back on Paige, who starts to force shots to get Carolina back in the game.

With Wisconsin’s lack of fouling, Paige can’t get to the free throw line for easy points and the Badgers pull away late. Wisconsin moves on, 77-68.

Next: Arizona-Xavier Preview