In the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Wisconsin basketball will be taking on Virginia. Which program will come away with a big win for their conference?
Tip Time: 9:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 27
TV Schedule: ESPN2
Location: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA
In just the first night of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, two of the best programs in each conference will be going toe-to-toe. Virginia and Wisconsin have been NCAA Tournament mainstays for the last several years and this season looks to be no different. Both teams have balanced attacks in their ability to both score effectively and play lockdown defense.
Wisconsin Badgers Basketball
In the early parts of this season, Wisconsin’s biggest issue has been their inability to close. Their record currently sits at 3-3 with each of their losses coming in close games against AP top-25 teams in the country. Xavier, Baylor, and UCLA were all able to pull away from the Badgers in late-game situations when Wisconsin struggled to score the basketball.
The Badgers are led by All-American Ethan Happ (18.2 points, 9.3 rebounds) at center, but their perimeter play is extremely inexperienced. Sophomore D’Mitrik Trice has had a difficult start to this season as he has struggled to get things going in Wisconsin’s three losses. In those games against top-25 teams, Trice is putting up just 8.7 points on 32.3% from the field and 21.4% from three. In contrast, he is averaging 12.3 points on 62.5% shooting and 70% from the three in Wisconsin’s three victories (South Carolina State, Yale, UW-Milwaukee).
In addition to Trice, freshmen Brad Davison and Kobe King are playing substantial minutes in the early going. While King (5.0 points in 14.3 minutes) has been solid off the bench, Davison (11.8 points in 24.3 minutes) has already claimed a starting spot and is playing a major role. This freshmen class is off to a great start and Aleem Ford (who redshirted last year) and Nathan Reuvers (who played in his first game against UW-Milwaukee) are filling out this group.
Virginia Cavaliers Basketball
On the flip side, Virginia is yet to lose this season. The Cavaliers are sitting at 6-0 and recently entered the AP top-25 at No. 18. The team already has three quality wins on the resume, beating VCU (road), Vanderbilt (neutral), and Rhode Island (neutral) in the early going. As per usual, head coach Tony Bennett has his team playing as one of the top defensive teams in the country.
The Cavaliers are currently allowing only 52.3 points per game (2nd in the nation) and their opponents are shooting just 36.1% from the field. This was to be expected out of Virginia, but it has been their offense that has been surprising. While shooting 50.8% from the field and 39.8% from three, UVA is averaging 73.3 points through the first six games of this season. For reference, the Cavaliers have averaged more than 70 points per game in only one season under Tony Bennett (who is now in his ninth season).
Sophomore Kyle Guy (15.8 points) is the leading scorer on the team and he is reprising his role from last season as one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. He has splashed home 14 threes already this year at a 48.3% clip. In addition to Guy’s scoring, senior Devon Hall (11.2 points) has also been solid while knocking down 46.7% of his threes.
Virginia is a very dangerous team and playing them on the road is exceedingly difficult. If Wisconsin is going to come away with this win for the Big Ten, they are going to need a strong offensive outing against UVA’s defense while also finding their go-to-guy in crunch time. The Badgers have faltered in the final minutes of games this season and they will need to rely on their young backcourt to make plays.
Virginia’s crowd and defensive ability will make things incredibly difficult on Wisconsin and will likely take the victory.
Final prediction: Virginia 67, Wisconsin 62