The No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers take on the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday at Noon. The game will be televised on BTN. Wisconsin is coming off of its most impressive win of the season in a 77-60 win over No. 22 Syracuse.
Projected Starters
Wisconsin
G: Bronson Koenig (15.1 PPG, 1.6 APG)
G: Zak Showalter (6.9 PPG, 2.4 APG)
F: Nigel Hayes (11.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.5 APG)
F: Vitto Brown (7.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG)
C: Ethan Happ (13.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG)
Oklahoma
G: Jordan Woodard (17.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.7 APG)
G: Christian James (11.2 PPG, 2.2 APG)
G: Rashard Odomes (8.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG)
F: Matt Freeman (4.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG)
F: Khadeem Latin (11.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG)
The Sooners beat down the Badgers in Norman last year, with the final score being 65-48. One would argue that even the 17-point margin didn’t tell the whole story in one of the Badgers worst games of the season. This year’s roster is completely different for Oklahoma. Buddy Hield is gone. Isaiah Cousins is gone. Ryan Spangler is gone.
The two remaining starters, Jordan Woodard and Khadeem Latin, are the Sooners two best players this year. The duo only combined for six points against Wisconsin last year, but figure to have better performances this year.
Woodard leads the team in points and assists, at 17.7 PPG and 4.7 APG. In addition to the passing and scoring, the small point guard mixes up in the rebounding category as well, averaging over five a game.
Lattin averages 11.5 PPG and leads the team in boards with over six per game. Lattin is also a solid rim protector averaging 2.5 BPG, but we’ll find out exactly how good he is when he matches up against Ethan Happ.
“I think it’s just two guys that have had an expanded role and they’ve developed,” Wisconsin associate head coach Lamont Paris said of Woodard and Lattin’s improvements. “They’re doing more things. Their green light is a little greener.”
In addition to Woodard and Lattin, the Sooners’ Christian James presents a threat to the Badgers. The sophomore is averaging 11.3 PPG while shooting over 50% from beyond the arch. Freshman Kristian Doolittle averages 9.0 PPG and 6.3 RPG off the bench.
Paris believes last year’s game film isn’t applicable to the 2016 matchup.
“The roster is so different and they’re doing some different things. I don’t think there’s a whole lot there.”
The Sooners are 5-1 on the year, with their lone loss coming at the hands of Northern Iowa in overtime.