PREVIEW - No. 14 Wisconsin vs Florida A&M
The match-up:
No. 14 Wisconsin (10-2 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Florida A&M (2-10 overall, 0-0 MEAC)
When/Where:
Friday, Dec. 23 | 8:00 p.m. CST | Madison, Wisconsin
Broadcast:
T.V. – BTN
Radio – 101.5 FM | 1310 AM | Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas
Stream – BTN2Go
At a glance:
The No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers are coming off a nine-day break after six straight wins, a comfortable place to be with the fall semester wrapping up and the holidays just around the corner. The festive season hasn't been as jolly for Florida A&M, as the Rattlers have lost nine straight, including a crushing loss to Samford just over 24 hours prior to tipoff in Wisconsin nearly 800 miles north. With the rest, the experience and the talent on the Badgers' side this should be a game Wisconsin controls from start to finish.
Wisconsin Badgers
Badgers last outing
The last time fans saw Wisconsin on the court was over a week ago when the Badgers beat in-state opponent Green Bay, 73-59. The win wasn’t seamless as Wisconsin’s offense petered out at times with a lack of ball movement, but the Badgers found their rhythm and rode Nigel Hayes’ 24 points past the Phoenix. Ethan Happ played a huge part in the victory as well, adding 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Zak Showalter was the main beneficiary of Happ’s passing, notching 16 points of his own in UW’s win.
Nigel Hayes – 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
Ethan Happ – 14 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
Bronson Koenig – 6 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 rebound
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| Name | Career Record | Winning Percentage |
|---|---|---|
|
Greg Gard |
25-10 |
.714 |
| No. | Name | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
|
10 |
Nigel Hayes |
Sr. |
F |
|
22 |
Ethan Happ |
R-So. |
F |
|
24 |
Bronson Koenig |
Sr. |
G |
|
03 |
Zak Showalter |
R-Sr. |
G |
|
30 |
Vitto Brown |
Sr. |
F |
|
00 |
D'Mitrik Trice |
Fr. |
G |
|
11 |
Jordan Hill |
R-Jr. |
G |
|
15 |
Charlie Thomas IV |
So. |
F |
|
21 |
Khalil Iverson |
So. |
G/F |
|
25 |
Alex Illikainen |
So. |
F |
Badgers quick facts
- Wisconsin is 15-2 (.882) at home under Greg Gard.
- The Badgers are No. 4 in the nation in rebounding margin (+12.7)
- Nigel Hayes is the nation's only active player with at least 1,500 points, 600 rebounds and 200 assists.
Florida A&M Rattlers
Rattlers last outing
Florida A&M played at 7:00 p.m. Thursday night, lost, and now has to fly 800 miles to Madison to play one of the top teams in the nation at 8:00 p.m. Friday. The Rattlers were outmatched by Samford's true freshman Triston Chambers who had 20 points. The young gun hit 6 six 3-pointers and FAMU could not keep up. Florida A&M cut the lead to eight at point, but a 12-2 run rebuilt the cushion for Samford and the Bulldogs never looked back.
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| Name | Career Record | Winning Percentage |
|---|---|---|
|
Byron Samuels |
12-58 |
.171 |
| No. | Name | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
|
14 |
Derrick Dandridge |
Jr. |
F |
|
00 |
Desmond Williams |
Jr. |
F |
|
21 |
Justin Ravenel |
So. |
G |
|
04 |
Elijah Mays |
Sr. |
G |
|
22 |
Marcus Barham |
Jr. |
G |
|
30 |
Rashad Austin |
Fr. |
F |
|
01 |
Nick Severado |
So. |
G |
|
05 |
Nasir Core |
Fr. |
G |
|
20 |
Brenden Myles |
Fr. |
G |
|
32 |
K'Ja Johnson |
So. |
G |
Rattlers quick facts –
- The Rattlers have been in the NCAA Tournament three times with a combined record of 1-3.
- Jerome James, Clemon Johnson, Samuel Watts and Bob Williams attended FAMU and are now in the NBA.
- Florida A&M has held multiple names throughout its existence, such as the State Normal College for Colored Students (1887-1891) and the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (1909-1953).
Game Prediction
Wisconsin – 83
Florida A&M - 51