In a matchup that will feature two teams of contrasting styles and tempos, the NC State men’s basketball team will head north to face Wisconsin in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Tuesday in what will be the Wolfpack’s first road matchup of the season.
The Wolfpack is coming off a perfect 6-0 start, albeit against much lesser opponents. Despite the disparity in talent, the Pack has taken care of business, winning by an average of 35 points per game. Mercer, NC State’s last opponent, gave the Pack a challenge, and Wisconsin represents a much tougher opponent.
Wisconsin sits at 5-1 this season after losing to Virginia in the Battle 4 Atlantis, but the Badgers own solid wins over Stanford and Xavier.
Head coach Kevin Keatts and the Wolfpack will have their hands full trying to stop Wisconsin’s big man Ethan Happ. Happ has been a force down low and one of the best post players in the country during his college career, and he’s off to a fast start this season, averaging a double-double with 17.8 points per game and 12.5 rebounds per game while leading the team in assists with 34. He’ll surely be tough matchup for NC State’s only true center in graduate student Wyatt Walker. Avoiding fouls will be crucial for the Walker since the Wolfpack has almost no depth down low.
The Badgers also have a solid guard combination of Brad Davison, Khalil Iverson and D’Mitrik Trice. Trice will certainly be a threat from beyond the arc, as he’s averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting an excellent 57.1 percent from 3-point range. Davison is averaging nine points per game while Iverson is averaging 5.8. All three don’t turn the ball over much and have proven to be capable offensively.
Wisconsin’s Nate Reuvers presents a problem for the Wolfpack as well. The 6-foot-11 big man leads the team in blocks with 18 and is 6 of 11 from 3-point range while averaging 7.5 points per game. His versatility on the offensive end and his defensive prowess will be crucial against the Pack’s frontcourt.
NC State’s guards have been solid all the way around as well. Redshirt junior C.J. Bryce is averaging 12.8 points per game in his first season with the Pack and fellow newcomer, redshirt sophomore Devon Daniels, is averaging 8.8 this season. Redshirt senior Torin Dorn has been exceptionally efficient, shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range while leading the team in points with 18.2 per game. Unsurprisingly, junior guard Markell Johnson is leading the team in assists with 22 while averaging just over 10 points per game.
The Badgers play with one of the slowest paces in the nation, ranking 334th out of 353 Division I teams in possessions per game. NC State, in contrast, ranks 113th with nearly 75 possessions per game.
If NC State’s bigs can stay out of foul trouble and keep Happ in check down in the paint, the Wolfpack has a real chance to come away with a marquee road win.
The game will take place in Madison, Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN2.
