Today’s Game

NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 6 WISCONSIN

* How they got here: Wisconsin def. No. 11 Northern Iowa, 57-52; No. 14 Bucknell, 71-62; No. 10 North Carolina State, 65-56. North Carolina def. No. 16 Oakland of Rochester, Mich., 92-68; No. 9 Iowa State, 92-65; No. 5 Villanova, 67-66.

*--* STARTERS North Ht Wt Stat Pos Wisconsin Ht Wt Stat Carolina Jackie Manuel 6-5 189 5.9 ppg F Alando Tucker 6-5 205 14.9 ppg Jawad 6-9 218 13.2 ppg F Zach Morley 6-8 220 4.8 rpg Williams Sean May 6-9 266 16.8 ppg C Mike Wilkinson 6-8 240 14.4 ppg Rashad 6-4 207 15.9 ppg G Clayton Hanson 6-5 195 6.2 ppg McCants Raymond 6-1 198 6.9 apg G Sharif 6-1 185 7.5 ppg Felton Chambliss KEY RESERVES Marvin 6-9 230 6.7 rpg F Ray Nixon 6-8 215 2.6 ppg Williams Melvin Scott 6-2 190 5.3 ppg G Kammron Taylor 6-2 175 8.1 ppg David Noel 6-6 230 2.6 RPG F Andreas 6-9 245 1.9 rpg Helmigk

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* How they match up: North Carolina’s size, skill and quickness pose challenges for Wisconsin. The Tar Heels play at light speed compared to the Badgers, who must execute their intricate offense well to slow the pace. Wisconsin’s sound defense and discipline in running its offense could frustrate North Carolina.

* Keys: Wisconsin hopes to follow Villanova’s blueprint in a one-point loss to North Carolina on Friday. Villanova shot well early, slowing North Carolina’s fastbreak. Wisconsin rebounded from a poor first half Friday in its victory against North Carolina State but might not recover from a similar performance against North Carolina. Coach Bo Ryan stresses maximizing every possession, and that’s imperative for the Badgers today.

-- Jason Reid