2K Classic: Georgetown vs. Wisconsin Q&A

BECB: Let's get the big one out of the way first. Both of these teams dropped their season openers at home to much lesser competition. As such, they've been two of the most maligned teams in the country so far. What went wrong for Wisconsin against Western Illinois, and how did they fix those problems against Siena and North Dakota? The Badgers won't perform that poorly offensively (They're still eighth-ranked on offense, per KenPom), and they fixed it against Siena and Western Illinois.

B5Q: That was not Wisconsin's finest hour, nor was it Georgetown's. Wisconsin's offense went absent in the second half. They shot 35.5 percent and only 5 of 10 from the free throw line. Nigel Hayes finished with 17 points, but had none in the second half as the Leathernecks outscored Wisconsin 32-23. Sure, Western Illinois shot out of their minds from the outside, but they also outscored the Badgers 30-20 in the paint.

BECB: While obviously not the same Wisconsin team that has gone to the Final Four the past two seasons, this team still has some firepower. Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes have been the offensive leaders so far, but is there anyone else Georgetown fans should be aware of?

B5Q: Redshirt freshman forward Ethan Happ showed why he's been talked highly of for the past season in Wisconsin's last game against North Dakota. He scored 17 points and grabbed seven boards after foul trouble slowed down his first two games. Also, forward Vitto Brown has a nice mid-range game and can extend it out, but he will probably pick up two early fouls. That will bring freshman forward Charlie Thomas into the game, and he's an offensive rebounding machine.

BECB: Given that Georgetown is coming off a close game against a highly touted Maryland team, and Wisconsin's best opponent so far (per KenPom rankings, at least) has been Siena, is there any concern that the Badgers may be a bit overwhelmed by the Hoyas?

B5Q: The concern for being overwhelmed by Georgetown is pretty low. Let us not forget that the Hoyas lost to Radford, though both teams' season-openers were fluky. I don't think this Badgers team is nearly where it will be come February, though.

BECB: Georgetown center Bradley Hayes has really burst onto the scene in the first two games. He's averaging 17.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. Does Wisconsin have enough size and experience to try and slow the seven-foot senior down on both sides of the ball?

B5Q: Ha. Ha. Ha.

No.

Maybe Bo Ryan will employ the #HackAHayes method.

BECB: Who wins this game and why?

B5Q: Even though Georgetown hasn't won yet this season, I think they pick up their first over Wisconsin at the MSG by less than five. Defensively, the Badgers aren't nearly where they need to be in order to be consistent as a team. Last year, D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera torched the Badgers, and that could very well happen again. Come March, I think Wisconsin will be the better team, but right now, there are a lot of pieces that are getting figured out.