First Look: Wisconsin Draws High Point in NCAA Tournament
The final NCAA Tournament bracket was officially announced on Sunday, and Wisconsin will face High Point in a No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup. As expected, the Badgers ended up as the fifth seed in the West Region, playing in Portland.
The Panthers, who went 30-4 this season, won their conference championship against Winthrop to punch their ticket to March Madness. They’re 50th out of all 64 seeds, not having lost a game since Jan. 14 against Winthrop, funny enough. The Big South regular-season champions lived up to the hype and won each tournament game by an average of 13.7 points.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin is 20th overall after falling to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal. Here’s a quick first look at the Badgers’ first-round matchup:
Like Wisconsin, High Point Loves to Shoot
Similar to Wisconsin, High Point prides itself on high-octane offense. The Panthers are top 80 in the country in three-pointers made per game (nine), while the Badgers are third (11.5). They’re also 66th in offensive rating, according to KenPom.
Most of High Point’s production comes from the guards, led by Terry Anderson (16 PPG) and Rob Martin (15.3 PPG). An underrated name to watch is Cam’Ron Fletcher, who was previously at Xavier. He was regarded as one of the best high school players in the class of 2020.
But not only can the Panthers generate threes, but they can stop opponents from the outside as well. They’re 63rd in opponent three-point percentage (31.9%). On average, teams knock down fewer than eight shots from deep per game when facing High Point.
Height Highlights Key Weaknesses
Of the players who average double-digit minutes, Owen Aquino is the tallest at 6-foot-8. The Panthers lack significant height in the rotation, while Wisconsin boasts multiple big men at least 6-foot-10. With Nolan Winter set to return in the NCAA Tournament, the Badgers will have four rotation players who tower over High Point (Winter, Austin Rapp, Aleksas Bieliauskas, Will Garlock).
Naturally, because of this, the Panthers aren’t great at defending inside. They’re allowing opponents to shoot 51.6% inside the arc (175th). For slash-heavy guards like Nick Boyd, this is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of a defense that ranks 161st in efficiency (KenPom).
The last time Wisconsin was a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, it fell to JMU in the first round. Greg Gard has yet to get this team to the Sweet Sixteen since 2017. Despite a tough region, this year’s Badgers have thrived when the odds are stacked against them.
