Every dance has first step

OMAHA -- It’s a matchup straight out of Aesop’s Fables, only this time the tortoise is favored over the hare.

Cal State Fullerton, the up-tempo team that relies on quick guards, will meet plodding Wisconsin, with its giant-like men in the middle, in the opening round of the NCAA Midwest regional today at the Qwest Center.

No. 14-seeded Fullerton, champion of the Big West Conference and making its once-every-30 years appearance in the tournament, has no starters taller than 6 feet 5, but has an abundance of three-point shooting marksmen and is sixth in the nation in scoring at 82.6 points a game.

No. 3 Wisconsin, the Big Ten champion making its 10th consecutive appearance in the tournament, features three starters at 6-7 or taller, including 6-11 Brian Butch, and utilizes a suffocating defense that has limited opponents to a national-low 53.8 points a game.

Both teams are well aware that dictating tempo is the key to the game.

“They’re definitely quicker than what we’ve been used to the whole Big Ten season,” Butch said. “We’ve got to make sure we move our feet as 6-11, slow white guys. It’s one of the challenges we’ve got to be adjusted to.”

More likely, it will be Fullerton that has to adjust. The Titans have not been to the NCAA tournament since 1978, when the team made an improbable run to the Elite Eight, so the experience in itself is an adjustment.

Add in an opponent that is a perennial national power -- only Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Michigan State have played in more consecutive NCAA tournaments than Wisconsin -- from a national power conference and the task seems daunting.

“Everyone says you just have to speed them up and get the tempo going,” Fullerton Coach Bob Burton said. “Well, it’s not like people haven’t tried to. These guys are the Big Ten champs. They’re a big-time team.”

Wisconsin uses a swing offense that is deliberate and relies on passing. Butch, the leading scorer with 12.5 points a game, is a key, but the Badgers are balanced. They had five different leading scorers in their first five Big Ten games.

“It’s very hard to defend because it puts everybody in a position where they can score,” Burton said of the Wisconsin offense. “I would much rather have them out there just cranking it up and trying to go as fast as they could. That would help us more.”

Fullerton will crank up shots, running plays for leading scorer Josh Akognon, who averages 19.9 points and 3.5 three-pointers, but Wisconsin will makes things difficult with a defense that has limited opponents to 38% shooting -- fourth in the nation.

Still, Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan said it would be a mistake to stereotype either team.

“I’ve seen them on tape,” Ryan said. “They play defense. Very good defense. And our guys can score.”

For Fullerton, controlling the game actually starts with defense. The Titans must pressure the ball and create turnovers and score on fastbreaks. The problem is, Wisconsin averages only 12.1 turnovers a game.

Another key for the Titans will be shooting a high percentage. If they make 50% to 60% of their shots, it will neutralize the Badgers’ rebounding advantage.

But that won’t be easy against what is statistically the best defense in the nation.

“Pretty much everybody on their team looks good on film,” said Fullerton forward Scott Cutley said.

But Cutley added that it’s OK being the underdog because it relieves some pressure. “No one is expecting us to do anything here,” he said. “We’re just going to go out and have fun and play our game and hopefully we can get a win.”

The Titans are happy to be in Omaha, the site of many triumphs by their four-time national champion baseball team.

“I think it’s a sign of good luck us coming down here,” Titans forward Frank Robinson said. “I think that if we can pull off a couple of wins, it will show that we own Omaha.”

A couple of wins might be stretching it, but Ryan, whose team lost in the second round last year when seeded No. 2, said that even though the tortoise may be favored, it would be a mistake to overlook the hare.

“They’re another one of those teams that’s just won recently,” he said. “I think they’re confident, I think they’re well-coached and I think they understand what’s expected. So any time you’re playing a team that’s in that position, you know they’re always going to be pretty good.”

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peter.yoon@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Cal State Fullerton’s matchup

A look at Fullerton’s first-round tournament game vs. Wisconsin:

*--* STARTERS WISCONSIN Ht Wt Stats P CS FULLERTON Ht Wt Stats Marcus Landry 6-7 222 11.3 F Frank 6-4 220 16 ppg ppg Robinson Joe 6-7 220 6.5 rpg F Marcus Morgan 6-5 240 6.3 rpg Krabbenhoft Brian Butch 6-11 235 12.5 C/F Scott Cutley 6-5 235 52% FGs ppg Trevon Hughes 6-0 193 11.3 G Ray Reed 5-11 165 53% FGs ppg Michael 6-2 183 41% G Josh Akognon 5-11 185 19.9 ppg Flowers 3-pt RESERVES Jason 6-2 198 8.1 ppg G Marcus 5-10 170 42% 3-pt Bohannon Crenshaw Greg Stiemsma 6-11 260 36 C/F Andrew Green 6-6 255 2.5 rpg blocks Jon Leuer 6-10 208 3.2 ppg F/G Marcio 6-2 185 18-18 FT Lassiter *--*

SCOUTING REPORT: The Badgers lead the nation in scoring defense at 53.8 points a game and have held opponents to 38% shooting. They have made more free throws (480) than opponents have attempted (436) and have balanced scoring with four players averaging between 9.4 and 12.5 points. Fullerton is fifth in the nation in scoring at 82.6 points a game and averages 22.5 three-point attempts a game. The Titans are shooting 38.6% from beyond the arc.

KEY TO THE GAME: Fullerton’s shooting. The Titans are at a significant height disadvantage and will be hard-pressed to win the rebounding battle, so they must shoot a high percentage to make rebounds a non-factor to pull off the upset. Wisconsin will try to control the tempo and slow Fullerton into a half-court game. That way, the Badgers’ defense can force Fullerton’s shooters into bad shots and Wisconsin can begin its methodical motion offense.

-- Peter Yoon

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TONIGHT’S GAME

CS Fullerton (24-8) vs. Wisconsin (29-4)

Midwest Regional at Omaha,

6:40 PDT