Monday NCAA: UConn (4-0) vs. Wisconsin (4-0)
Two of the best defensive basketball teams in the country, No. 2 Connecticut and No. 25 Wisconsin, face off on Monday night in the championship game of the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It’s the first-ever meeting between the schools.
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The Huskies got here with a very solid 76-63 victory over No. 17 Miami on Sunday. Wisconsin beat San Diego 64-49, the team that upset UConn in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.
“It’s going to be tough because they’re skilled and athletic at all spots on the court,” UW junior Trevon Hughes said. “They’ve got 7-3, 7-4 (Hasheem) Thabeet in that paint and their freshman guard (Kemba Walker) is tremendous.”
Indeed, Thabeet is arguably the most dominant big man in the country. He had 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks against the Hurricanes. He is shooting 67.7 percent (21-of-31) in the early season after shooting at a 58.4 percent clip through his first two college seasons.
“When he’s playing like that, we’re just following,” said UConn’s Craig Austrie. “We looked like the No. 2 team in the country. Actually, like the No. 1 team.”
UConn is currently limiting teams to just 63.8 ppg and 38.9 percent shooting from the field. On offense, the Huskies are shooting 50.2 percent from the floor, with five players averaging double figures.
“I just know they’re good,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. “They’re not No. 2 by accident.”
Wisconsin is limiting teams to just 56.5 ppg, and 40.4 percent shooting from the floor. The Badgers are outrebounding the opposition by 6.8 rpg, and have also forced 57 turnovers in four matchups. Hughes enters as the team’s leading scorer at 15.0 ppg. Senior Marcus Landry is the Badgers’ best all-around player – the 6-foot-7 forward has 15 blocks for the season, including five Sunday.
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