This Saturday, No. 4 Wisconsin will take on No. 5 Kansas State in a Southeast showdown between the Big 10 and Big 12. There were a lot of people who had at least one, if not both of these teams losing in their first game against the much lower seed, but both of these teams looked very good and it should be an entertaining matchup.
If you are looking to watch this game, tip-off is scheduled for 8:40 ET at the McKale Center, and will be televised on TNT.
The NCAA Tournament odds are already out for Saturday's games, and the oddsmakers seem to think this one will go right down to the wire, as they have Wisconsin favored by just 2.5-points over Kansas State.
Wisconsin comes into the game off a 72-58 win over Belmont. The Badgers really played a great defensive game, holding the Bruins to just 36.7 percent shooting from the field and only 27.3 percent from long distance.
Offensively, the Badgers had just two players score in double-figures, but it was more than enough for the win. Jon Leuer had 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting, while Jordan Taylor finished with 21 points thanks to 5 of 9 shooting from three-point range.
Kansas State jumped out to a 33-22 halftime lead, and held on to beat Utah State 73-68. Senior Jacob Pullen scored a game-high 22 points, despite just 1 of 5 shooting behind the arc. Pullen is one player that can put a team on his back and carry them to a Final Four, but if he struggles, it will be very hard for Kansas State to keep advancing.
If there is a concern for the Wildcats, it is the fact that they allowed Utah State to shoot 46 percent from the field. If they let a good team like Wisconsin shoot that well, it will be very tough for them to win with the way they play defense.
This game will likely come down to turnovers and free throw shooting. Wisconsin turned it over 12 times against Belmont, while forcing just seven. Kansas State had 10 give-aways, but forced Utah State into 12.
Both teams shot over 20 free throws and made over 80% of their attempts, and a bad shooting day from the free throw line could end up being the difference in this game.
Both of these schools have wins over great teams, as Kansas State knocked off Kansas when they were No. 1, and Wisconsin did the same thing to Ohio State.
The winner of this game will more than likely take on No.1-seeded Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16, so don't be surprised if one of these two teams ends up surprising everyone and making it all the way to the Final Four in Houston.
Good luck with your NCAA basketball picks the rest of the way, and feel free to leave comment on who you think will win this game.
Gabrielle Union Alessandra Ambrosio Amanda Detmer Emma Stone Raquel Alessi
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