The NCAA Tournament action in the West region kicks off with the No. 2 seed Wisconsin Badgers facing off against No. 15 American. This game will be televised on Tru TV, but for the unfortunate souls working during March Madness it can also be live streamed free by clicking this link. Badgers fans can hear the game on 620 WTMJ, while American fans can hear the radio broadcast on Federal News Radio 1500 AM.
Wisconsin will be a very tough team to take down for American, as they're both talented and battle tested. The Badgers can boast of wins over Florida, Saint Louis, Virginia, Michigan State, and Michigan.
American has not faced anything close to the level of opposition of Wisconsin this year, but they play a measured style that is familiar to the Badgers, and helped them upset favorites in the past. Wisconsin forward Zach Bohannon said that his crew isn't overlooking American.
"As long as we don't get beat backdoor, that's the biggest thing. You can watch any Princeton team, the whole system is predicated on the backdoor cut and 3-point shots," Bohannon said.
In addition to playing great defense, the Badgers are scoring more this year thanks to the work of big man Frank Kaminsky and fellow forward Sam Dekker. "They're scoring a ton of points this year, they're getting out in transition," American coach Mike Brennan said Wednesday. "It's more than just the offense that everyone talks about, the swing offense."
They will have to deal with the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, however, in six feet, 10-inch center Tony Wroblicky.
Wroblicky averaged 12.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and two blocks per game for the Eagles, and helped sophomore guard Jesse Reed with the offense as well. Reed was a breakout player this year after getting just 13 minutes a game as a freshman.
He got 35 minutes of floor time per game in 2013-2014 and thrived, leading the Eagles with 13.9 points per game including 46 percent from beyond the arc on 4.6 attempts.
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