NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Friday Mar. 25, 7:27 p.m. ET, TBS
Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
Line: Notre Dame (-1)
The first regional semifinal matchup in the East Region Friday night will pit No. 6 seed Notre Dame against No. 7 seed Wisconsin. Both teams survived the Round of 32 in dramatic fashion, with Rex Pflueger‘s late tip-in giving the Fighting Irish a 76-75 win over Stephen F. Austin and Bronson Koenig putting Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 with a fall-away buzzer-beater to take down No. 2 seed Xavier, 66-63.
What To Watch For: Notre Dame
Senior forward Zach Auguste has been a force for Notre Dame in two NCAA tournament games, with a double-double in both contests while going a combined to go 12-for-14 from the floor. Junior V.J. Beachem has stepped up his game of late, with at least 15 points in three of the last four games and averages of 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in the tournament thus far.
Junior point guard Demetrius Jackson led the team with 18 points against Stephen F. Austin. Against a tough Wisconsin defense, his decision-making and perimeter shooting (3-for-6 from beyond the arc in two tournament games) will be an important part of Notre Dame’s success.
What To Watch For: Wisconsin
Koenig’s late-game heroics took center stage on Sunday night, but he also snapped out of a shooting slump with 20 points and six three-pointers on 12 attempts against Xavier. That’s a good sign for the Badgers going forward, but on the other end of the spectrum is Nigel Hayes. After going 2-for-10 from the floor and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc against Xavier, the junior forward is now 7-for-42 from floor in three postseason games (0-for-17 from three-point range). Postseason pressure may be a factor, but Hayes has to break out of his shooting slump for Wisconsin to keep winning games.
Ethan Happ had another strong game against Xavier (18 points and seven rebounds), and his individual matchup with Auguste looks like the one to watch during Friday night’s game.
This game looks sure to be a nail-biter, with foul trouble, the rebounding margin and late-game moments determining the winner.
Prediction: Wisconsin 65, Notre Dame 62
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