GAME PREVIEW

vs. Belmont, March 17, NCAA Tournament second round

KEY MATCHUPS
Wisconsin junior point guard Jordan Taylor has faced brilliant guards and terrific defensive schemes all year, yet he leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.2-to-1) by a considerable margin. It's unlikely he'll fold against Belmont's pressure, led by sophomore guard Kerron Johnson (68 steals), but the Bruins certainly want to speed him up. Belmont has two rotating big guys in Mick Hedgepeth and Scott Saunders: Can either of them guard Jon Leuer on the perimeter as well as in the post? Leuer (18.6 ppg) has a habit of exploiting his defender wherever he's weaker.

SCOUTING REPORT
Wisconsin runs Bo Ryan's fabled swing offense and plays nothing but a helping man-to-man defense that doesn't allow opponents to do much inside. If a team wants to shoot 25-footers all day, that's another thing. When Wisconsin has the ball, Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer are going to take half the shots. The trick for opponents is to not get caught up stopping those two. That's when senior center Keaton Nankivil sneaks his way out to the 3-point arc, where he's a 46 percent shooter. If the game is close late and teams need to foul to catch the Badgers, all five Wisconsin starters shoot at least 85 percent at the line.

PLAYER NOTES

--Junior PG Jordan Taylor, a first-team all-Big Ten selection, is one of five Cousy Award finalists and figures to be no worse than a second-team All-America selection. Taylor finished second in scoring in Big Ten games (20.3 ppg) and has paced the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio virtually since Day 1 (147 assists to 35 turnovers through March 13). That works out to one turnover per 32.1 minutes played, by the way.

--Senior F Jon Leuer, a first-team all-Big Ten selection by the media and a second-team choice by the coaches, had scored in double figures 38 games in a row through the Big Ten tournament. He led the Badgers in scoring (18.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg) and owned 51 3-pointers. He's equally comfortable shooting 3s, posting up on the right block or taking overzealous defenders off the dribble.

--Senior C Keaton Nankivil is one of the nation's finest shooting big men. Nankivil hit 55 of 119 3-pointers heading into NCAA play (46 percent), as he has a way of rotating out to the arc and waiting for passes after Taylor penetrates the lane. Through March 13, he led the Badgers with 38 blocks and was shooting 85 percent from the foul line. He also boasts a 7-foot wingspan and a terrific vertical leap, both of which help him to be effective as a post defender and rebounder.

--Freshman G Josh Gasser became the first Big Ten freshman since Magic Johnson to post a triple-double when he produced 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists on Jan. 23 at Northwestern. He's the only player in Wisconsin annals to get a triple-double.

--Sophomore F Mike Bruesewitz sprained his right knee on March 11 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal loss to Penn State. He's listed as day-to-day. Bruesewitz ranks sixth on the team in minutes (19.2 mpg) and fifth in scoring (4.2 ppg).

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