Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers-Gators Set for Sweet 16 Matchup
By Tyler Hunt
After a Long Beginning to the Week, Gameday is Finally Here for Wisconsin Basketball
Its been a long week of waiting for the Badgers to tip off, but the day is finally here as Wisconsin is set to take on the Florida Gators in a Sweet 16 match up. For the fourth straight season the Badgers will be playing in a Sweet 16 game, an impressive run that many other schools can only dream of accomplishing. However for Wisconsin Basketball, fans are sure still wanting more at this stage in the season after being spoiled with back to back Final Fours. Before they can get to that, they must get through Florida as their first opponent, so lets take a look and get to know the Gators leading up to tonight’s matchup.
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The Florida Gators are a team that have flown under the radar as an SEC School this season as much of the focus seemed to be on Kentucky, which is normal, but the Gators seemed to get less and less attention than in years past despite being a 26-8 team. Partly because the SEC always seemed to be in hand for the Wildcats, and Florida was never able to make that jump ahead. However, they are still a very talented team that spreads the wealth. The Gators to not have one true threat, as they have three scorers that average 11-13 points per game. The player to watch out for is certainly that of forward Devon Robinson, who put up 24 and 14 in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
When you look at the match up between the two teams, there are a few key points that will make the difference. Firstly in Florida’s favor, is that they recently destroyed a Virginia team that runs a slightly similar game to Wisconsin. However the Badgers have a much better ability to score than Virginia does, but there are comparisons that could make a bit of a struggle for Wisconsin if they are able to play in transition. For the Badgers, the match up is about the bigs as the Badgers definitively hold the advantage in the post. If Nigel and Happ are able to isolate themselves within the offense, they will cause a tough defensive battle for the Gators big guys which could be the difference.
Overall, the Badgers should hold the cards in this game as almost every opponent in March is forced to play the style of Wisconsin. If the Badgers can continue to dominate the post and the glass, and allow Bronson to get his shots they should have no issue advancing against Florida. Simply if the March Wisconsin shows up and not the February Wisconsin the Badgers should have no issue advancing to the Elite 8 for a date with Baylor/South Carolina.