Preview: Pittsburgh, Round of 64

Vitals:

No. 10 Pittsburgh Panthers (21-11, 9-9 ACC) vs. No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers (20-12, 12-6 Big Ten)

Friday, March 18, 2016 • St. Louis, MO • Scottrade Center • 5:50 p.m. CT • TNT

Wisconsin Badgers • t-4th in B1G • Streak: L2

Roster • Schedule • Statistics

Fr • F • Ethan Happ • 6-9 • 235 • 12.1 ppg (12.2 ppg B1G)

The Big Ten Freshman of the Year finished the season pacing the conference in steals (1.8 spg) and ranking second in double-doubles (9). In addition to being named the conference's top freshman, Happ was named to both the All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams. He is currently on pace to become the conference's first freshman in 20-plus seasons to average 11.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg and 1.0 bpg.

Jr • F • Vitto Brown • 6-8• 230 • 9.7 ppg (8.8 ppg B1G)

Brown said on Thursday in the Badgers locker room that his NCAA Tournament experience includes being, "thrown in, shockingly to two Final Fours." Well, Brown won't be "shockingly" thrown into anything this time around as the Badgers will need him to show up big in the biggest of moments. Over his last 10 games, Brown has done just that by averaging 12.3 ppg and shooting 21-for-42 (.500) from three-point range.

Jr • F • Nigel Hayes • 6-8 • 240 • 16.3 ppg (16.7 ppg B1G)

Hayes was named a First Team All-Big Ten selection as a result of his leading Wisconsin in scoring (16.3 ppg) and assists (3.0 apg) this season. Hayes also led the Badgers in made free throws (181) and free-throw attempts (244), and was second on the team in rebounds (5.8) and steals (36).

Jr • G • Bronson Koenig • 6-4 • 193 • 13.4 ppg (12.8 ppg B1G)

Bronson Koenig was already shooting a respectable 37.2 percent from three-point range over the first 18 games of the season. But over the course of the previous 13 games of the regular season, Koenig treated that number more like a failing test grade than an above-average shooting percentage. Wisconsin's point guard went on to shoot 44.6 percent from three-point range over the final 13 games, while extending his program-record to 43 consecutive games with at least one made triple.

Jr • G • Zak Showalter • 6-2 • 184 • 7.6 ppg (7.8 ppg B1G)

Arguably Showalter's best game of his career came last year in the big dance when he came off the bench to help the Badgers spark a 19-7 comeback run to defeat North Carolina in the Sweet 16 en route to their second national championship game appearance. In that game, Showalter had 6 points (3-for-3 FGs), 1 steal, 1 assist and 1 rebound.

Pittsburgh Panthers • 9th in ACC • Streak: L1

Roster • Schedule • Statistics

Gr. • F • Rafael Maia • 6-9 • 245 • 2.1 ppg (1.7 ppg ACC)

Jr. • F • Michael Young • 6-9 • 235 • 16.0 ppg (15.5 ppg ACC)

Jr. • F • Jamel Artis • 6-7 • 215 • 14.4 ppg (13.8 ppg ACC)

Jr. • G • Chris Jones • 6-6 • 213 • 6.1 ppg (5.8 ppg ACC)

Sr. • G • James Robinson • 6-3 • 198 • 10.3 ppg (10.3 ppg ACC)

Where They're Equal

If this game should come down to free throws, don't expect either team to crumble under the pressure. Pittsburgh ranks 1st in the ACC and 15th in the nation in free-throw percentage (.754), while Wisconsin ranks 9th in the Big Ten and 138th in the nation at 70.7 percent. But while the Panthers shoot a higher percentage, the Badgers make 12.9 free throws per game compared to Pittsburgh's 12.3. Wisconsin's 21.7 free-throw attempts per game this season led the Big Ten, and is on pace to be the program's second-highest mark over the last 9 seasons, with the best mark coming in the team's Final Four run during the 2013-14 campaign in which they averaged 22.7 attempts. Over the last 14 games, Wisconsin is averaging 23.7 attempts from the line, and the Badgers shot 75.4 percent from the free-throw line in the final five minutes and overtime this season. The Panthers rank 7th in the ACC in free-throw attempts per game this season (21.2). Pittsburgh is 18-6 (.750) this season when shooting a free-throw percentage greater than or equal to its opponent, and 3-5 (.375) in games in which it does not. By the same measure, Wisconsin is 10-2 (.833) when shooting a higher percentage, and 8-10 (.444) when failing to do so.

Pittsburgh's Advantage

In the six games prior to Greg Gard taking over for Bo Ryan, the Badges were getting an average of 5.3 ppg from their bench, including 0 points against Marquette, and 1 point against Syracuse. Since Gard has taken over, however, the Badgers have extended their bench and, as a result, are now receiving 10.3 ppg from the reserved, led by 23 points from the bench in a road win against Iowa. This season, the Badgers are 6-2 (.750) when outscoring the opposing team's bench. Wisconsin's highest point total from a reserve this season came when Jordan HIll scored 13 points in 32 minutes against Indiana on January 26. While all of those numbers are nice, and might sound promising, they hail in comparison to Pittsburgh's bench production. The Panthers have had 28 double-figure scoring games off the bench this season and average 25.8 bench points per game (3rd in ACC). Pittsburgh has scored 44 or more bench points on 5 occasions this year, including a season-high 51 bench points against Central Arkansas on December 6. Pittsburgh won its first 12 games of the season when outscoring the opposing team's bench, but finished the season just 2-6 in such games. Nonetheless, Pittsburgh's 14-6 (.700) record when winning the bench battle is telling. Cameron Johnson scored 24 points off the bench against Syracuse in the ACC Tournament, and 20 points off the bench against Boston College. In his last three games, Johnson is averaging 12.3 ppg.

Wisconsin's Advantage

For as great of an advantage the Panthers may have in the bench department, the Badgers should take some confidence with them into Friday night's game knowing they have an opportunity to defeat Pittsburgh from three-point range. Wisconsin is shooting 35.8 percent from three-point range on the season, but over the previous 10 games, the Badgers have shot 89-for-224 (.397) from distance, making an average of 8.9 triples per game. By comparison, Pittsburgh's three-point defense is anything but stout, allowing opponents to shoot 35.6 percent from three-point range, ranking 10th in the ACC and 244th in Division I. During ACC play, the Panthers allowed their opponents to shoot over 40 percent from three-point range on 9 occasions, including 6 times over 50 percent.

Prediction

Wisconsin 63, Pittsburgh 59

Prediction record: 23-9 (15-3 Big Ten)