Beating Wisconsin

Be patient, for this will be a game of relatively few possessions—and be prudent, as each will loom large. But at the same time, as two Big Ten assistants point out, open looks are so rare, and Wisconsin plays such a good helping man-to-man, that you must take the shot when you get the chance, even if that means pushing the ball with quick bursts in transition. Wisconsin gets most of its takeaways when opponents put the ball on the floor in the lane, so don't be tempted by what may momentarily look like a one-on-one opportunity in the half-court.

When the Badgers have the ball, remember: Though they don't shoot a high percentage, they can score in a hurry if Jon Bryant or Duany Duany gets loose for threes, so it's important to fight through every screen. "Their big men do nothing but screen, and their guards do nothing but move around," says one assistant. "We told our guys that they'd get downscreened, backscreened and then rescreened, and that they'd be on defense for 25 to 30 seconds at a time. You get antsy and want to go for a steal or a block, but as soon as you make an error, they exploit it."