Six More Questions with Badger of Honor on Wisconsin Basketball

Elite Eight: ZonaZealots decided to go back to the well and see what match-up insights we could gleam from a follow-up conversation with the Badger Of Honor’s Editor Jim Oxley.

The game is tomorrow, and @BadgerOfHonor and @ZonaZealots have been at it all week on Twitter. So we thought we would follow up with each other on the upcoming game.

This time we asked five questions to the Editor of our Sister site www.BadgerOfHonor.com about the upcoming Regional Final game between our two teams which has become a reality. Please note, we both predicted that both teams would be going to the Elite Eight, so this isn’t a surprise to us.

Be sure to follow Badger Of Honor on Twitter.

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ZZ: Both the Badgers and Wildcats were tested yesterday, both came from behind and turned up the volume and beat their opponent earning them a spot in the Elite Eight. What about the game yesterday worries you about a Wisconsin and Arizona rematch that for Arizona is more of a “revenge match”?

BOH: The biggest concern I have from the game is the lack of production the Badgers got out of Nigel Hayes. He needs to be a bigger factor for the Badgers if they want to get by Arizona. The Wildcats have plenty of height, and the Badgers will need Hayes – as well as Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker – to elevate their level of play. Hayes must improve on his performance against North Carolina for the Badgers to be successful.

ZZ: How will Wisconsin handle Arizona’s faster pace to the game? I noticed in the Wisconsin North Carolina game that the pace seemed slower and more methodical, what does Wisconsin need to do to beat the Wildcats?

BOH: Fast paced teams always give Wisconsin trouble. It’s always been that way under Bo Ryan. This team is better equipped for a fast-paced game than most Badgers teams of the past, but they still struggle when things get faster. The best way Wisconsin can slow down Arizona is to rebound. Corralling offensive boards will help limit fast breaks, and in turn, slow down the Wildcats.

ZZ: Are the Wisconsin players aware that a number of the Wildcats players from last year who are still on the team this year feel like this is a redemption game?

BOH: They are definitely aware of the subtext in this game. They are aware, and they understand it better than anyone as they are attempting to get back to a redemption game of their own, as Kentucky knocked this team from the Final Four a year ago. The Badgers absolutely know how invested Arizona is, and aren’t looking past that aspect of this match up.

ZZ: What or whom do you think is the key to the beating Arizona on Saturday?

BOH: It’s got to be Frank Kaminsky. He’s averaging over 20 points a game and adding 9 boards a contest, and he hasn’t really showed up in the first half of any of Wisconsin’s games yet. If Kaminsky can put pressure on this Wildcats defense and get them out of their comfort zone, the Badgers will have a great chance of heading to their second straight Final Four.

ZZ: Do you think the referee’s in the NCAA tournament are purposely waiting to the second half of the games to call fouls? What trends do you see with the tournament refs you did not see in your conference games? For the Pac-12, we saw a lot more calls being made throughout the game.

BOH: Wisconsin didn’t see many fouls in the tournament until the Sweet Sixteen, when we saw the game being called incredibly close throughout – on both sides. Multiple players had picked up their third with only minutes gone in the second half, and the ref’s continued to hit the whistle quickly.

It’s not something the Badgers are used to, as they foul less than most teams in college basketball. A foul-heavy game would be in the Badgers’ favor, as Wisconsin excels from the free throw line.

ZZ: What do you think the final score of the game will be?

BOH: This is likely going to be another one for the ages. Same two teams, same region as a year ago, top two seeds, Final Four on the line…you couldn’t script it any better. In my eyes, Wisconsin has the slight advantage on offense with a dominant scorer in Frank Kaminsky and one of the hottest offensive players in the tournament – Sam Dekker. If the Badgers offense can continue to produce, they should win a close one.

I’ll take Wisconsin in a low-scoring game, 68-65.

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