- NCAA Tournament Cinderellas Fairleigh Dickinson, St. Peter’s define North Jersey fearlessnessPosted 1 week ago
- The rise, fall, and rise again of the Cleveland Cavaliers: How they built a winner in the post-LeBron James eraPosted 1 month ago
- Which teams would earn spots in a permanent Premier League with no relegation?Posted 4 months ago
- He may not be remembered as well as T.J. Sorrentine, but Anthony Lamb is making Vermont Catamount history in NBAPosted 5 months ago
- Danny Ainge is screwing up the Utah Jazz rebuild by being too good at his jobPosted 5 months ago
- Will Bournemouth stay up? Cherries earn another point to stay unbeaten against non-big-six sidesPosted 6 months ago
- After high-scoring performance at EuroBasket, could Sasha Vezenkof be headed to NBA soon?Posted 7 months ago
- Two games, two very different results, and not many conclusions to draw for AFC Bournemouth so far into Premier League seasonPosted 7 months ago
- Premier League Week 2 Takeaways: Forest’s entertaining win, Leicester in trouble and poor BournemouthPosted 7 months ago
- Will any of the players on the Blazers’ Summer League championship roster make an impact in the NBA?Posted 8 months ago
NCAA Tournament Predictions: 4. Wisconsin vs. 13. Montana
- Updated: March 12, 2012
By: Kels Dayton
4 Wisconsin (24-9, 12-6 Big Ten)- The Badgers are led by senior point guard Jordan Taylor, who averages 14.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Taylor is a great decision maker and one of the nation’s best leaders. Junior forward Ryan Evans (10.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg) will also play a huge role in how far the Badgers advance.
Guard Jordan Taylor (AP Photo)
Senior guard Rob Wilson, who averages just 4 points per game, shocked everyone by going for 30 against Indiana in the Big Ten quarterfinals. If he can do that again, there’s no telling how far Wisconsin can go.
This is a typical Bo Ryan-coached team. Wisconsin plays great defense, controls the tempo and limits the number of possessions the opposing team has on offense. The Badgers led the nation in points allowed per game and field goal percentage.
KEY STATS:
1st Points Allowed per game (52.1)
1st Assists Allowed per game (8.0)
6th Field Goal Percentage Against (38.3)
Team stats courtesy of www.statsheet.com and www.bbstate.com.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 Montana (25-6, 15-1 Big Sky)-Montana has won a school-record 14 straight games and shut the nation’s second-leading scorer in Damian Lillard and Weber State out of the NCAA Tournament. The Grizzlies, who have won 20 of 21, pasted Weber State, 54-30 in the second half of their Big Sky title game.
Guard Kareem Jamar (The Grizzly Journal)
Montana is led by a trio of big-time playmakers, including leading scorer Will Cherry (16.0 ppg). 6-5 guard Kareem Jamar will be another key focus for the Wisconsin defense because of his quickness and offensive versatility. Jamar averaged 13.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists this season.
This will be a terrific game because Montana is used to winning and has players who won’t shy away from the limelight. The Grizzlies knocked off a tough Weber State team twice down the stretch of the season, and will come into the tournament playing their best basketball.
KEY STATS:
14 Consecutive wins
112th Points per game (70.6)
9th Field Goal Percentage (49.1)
PREDICTION: Montana
Pingback: Bracket Breakdown: NCAA Tournament Predictions: East Region « ROUNDBALL DAILY