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Villanova-Wisconsin preview

Villanova keys Given the higher caliber of opponent, the Wildcats need to show energy right from the opening tipoff. They must be effective on their defensive boards - the Badgers pulled down 17 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points again

Villanova keys

Given the higher caliber of opponent, the Wildcats need to show energy right from the opening tipoff. They must be effective on their defensive boards - the Badgers pulled down 17 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points against Virginia Tech - and that will be at the expense of being able to get out in transition. And it would be good to see Kris Jenkins make some shots; the Cats' top three-point marksman went 0 for 6 on Thursday night and is 2 for 17 in his last three games.

Wisconsin keys

The Badgers have to continue their excellent ball movement to find the open man on the three-point arc after drilling 13 threes against Tech and posting 19 assists on 26 field goals. They will try to control the tempo and keep their turnovers to a minimum. Their height should present a problem for Villanova, but they may have to respond if the Wildcats go small, and that means extra minutes for a pair of backup guards - 6-foot D'Mitrik Trice and 6-5 Khalil Iverson.

On guard

Even with their slow start against Mount St. Mary's, the Wildcats held their opponent to 36.8 percent shooting and 56 points, six points below their defensive average. They will need to locate senior Bronson Koenig, who had a career-high 28 points with eight threes against Virginia Tech. Villanova big men Darryl Reynolds and Eric Paschall may have to play together against the tall Wisconsin front line. The Badgers are 11th in the nation in scoring defense at 61.8 points per game but have to account for 'Nova's ball movement, which was much better against the Mount. Ethan Happ and Zak Showalter each average better than 1.5 steals per game.

Swish

After their 0-for-8 start Thursday night, Villanova shot 59.6 percent from the floor. Donte DiVincenzo missed two dunks but went 9 of 13 on his other field goal attempts. With DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson carrying the offense, Josh Hart settled for just nine shots from the floor and 11 points, a total that likely needs to be higher in this game. The Badgers knocked down 13 threes against Virginia Tech but shot 43 percent overall. Koenig, Trice and Zak Showalter are their best deep threats while the 6-foot-10 Happ shoots 58 percent from the field. Happ (3.2 offensive rebounds per game) and Nigel Hayes (2.2) get a lot of second-chance opportunities.

Intangibles

This is a game featuring two of the most experienced teams in the NCAA tournament. Hayes and Koenig of Wisconsin have played in 15 tournament games, while Hart and Jenkins have taken part in 11. The four players are the top four scorers among active players in the event. The Badgers are trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive season; no other team in the nation has been to each of the last three. But the Wildcats went all the way last season, know how to play grind-it-out games like the ones Wisconsin prefers and realize that they need to come out and be sharp at both ends of the court after getting their wakeup call against Mount St. Mary's.