Marquee Match-ups - More than Meets the Eye

Saturday December 16th two of college basketball’s top teams met as the Pitt Panthers played the University of Wisconsin Badgers in Madison. The billing for the game was #2 versus #7. Although the seventh ranked Badgers were double digit winners over the second ranked Panthers the game offered some insight into two of the top conferences in the country.

Despite the final score these two teams proved that they match up very well against each other. Not only that, it was also evident by witnessing the game that they would match up well against other top teams around the country. Keep in mind that Panthers All-American center Aaron Gray was slowed by strep throat against the Badgers and that certainly impacted the outcome. The fact is that Pittsburgh and Wisconsin could both end up being the teams to beat in the Big East and Big Ten by the time March rolls around. Both of the schools are the second teams mentioned in each conference as Connecticut and Ohio State seem to steal the headlines. However, these “number two teams” will be no picnic to play.

Pittsburgh, thanks to Gray, has the size to keep opponents from having much freedom in the lane. Gray also showed a nice shooting touch that makes guarding him a tough match up for anyone. This will definitely come into play once the Big East season rolls around as, in our opinion; nobody in the conference has anyone with the size, strength, and talent to match him.

Wisconsin boasts preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Alando Tucker who is not the physical presence that Gray is. However, he certainly has no problem finding his shots and creating his own offense! Tucker also does a great job of reading the defense and not forcing shots when it’s not there. Playing on the wing allows him to get his space and his improved outside shot makes him a tough match up for Big Ten opposition as well as any top team in the country.

Both teams have experienced guard play which always is at a premium in conference play. The Panthers Antonio Graves and the Badgers Kammron Taylor are far from flashy but yet they do an excellent job of giving their teams what is needed. Graves and Taylor also don’t try to force a play when it is not there and this is what helps to keep the turnovers down.

In order to contend in the “power conferences” teams need a deep bench. In this case, both the Badgers and Panthers have players coming off the bench that can give, not only solid but, productive minutes. Both teams have at least nine players in the rotation and that is always a key as the season gets more grueling with the intensity of conference play. In the case of Wisconsin and Pittsburgh, the minutes off each bench can come in all sizes as each team has both frontcourt and backcourt options available that can be counted on for production. Wisconsin has a little more height than Pitt and the Badgers will certainly need this in the slower paced Big Ten. Pittsburgh has the edge in athleticism which is a big time need in the Big East.

The point of all the above is to let you know that the result of one big game should not be overvalued. In this particular case, we learned a lot of positives about both teams. This tells us that it will most likely be best to look for opportunities to “play on” both of these teams rather than to look for opportunities to fade them. These are both quality teams and although the Panthers lost the game by double digits they are a definite force to be reckoned with this season! Both teams are well prepared for the conference season to begin and certainly neither will go all the way through without an “off” night. However, don’t be surprised if these teams are among the last few left standing come March. Also, a few of their opponents are likely to take a whipping along the way and we’ll be right there to cash our tickets on those games! As always, best of luck in all your gaming from Rickenbach's Players Advantage!

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