Scoring should lead the way on Sunday between two intriguing teams.
Fresh off a 79-67 win over the Montana State Bobcats, the Wisconsin Badgers are set to face off against the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Sunday, with tip-off set for 11:00 a.m. at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers, standing at 2-0, had another slower start on Thursday, but it was a different outlook than the season opener, as they climbed out to a 39-33 lead at the half. In the second half, they led by double digits for much of the period en route to their second straight victory.
Meanwhile, the Mountaineers have started the year 1-1, dropping a game to Miami (OH) before recently beating St. Andrews by a wide margin for their first win of the year.
What are all of the odds ahead of the game?
Odds(via FanDuel)
Prediction
This line has swung in Wisconsin’s favor a little bit, as the initial lines were around 12.5 points for the Badgers. Nonetheless, they’re double-digit favorites for the third straight game, but the 15.5-point spread is the lowest they’ve had all year.
Wisconsin has started slow in each of their two games, but caught a better groove on Thursday in comparison to the opener, thanks to better three-point shooting. Still, they haven’t gotten off to the cleanest starts, in part because of their defense.
They play an Appalachian State team that has looked different in each of their first two games. The Mountaineers really struggled from the field in the season opener, shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from deep, while even missing 9 of their 21 free throws against Miami (OH).
Then, in their 108-54 win over St. Andrews, they shot 56.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from three, although the woes from the charity stripe continued.
Appalachian State has the most size that Wisconsin has seen yet, as their frontcourt has 6’9, 285-pound Luke Wilson, was well as 6’11, 220-pound C.J. Huntley in the starting lineup, so that’ll be a new challenge for the Badgers bigs on Sunday.
I’ve faded the Badgers in both of their first two games on the spread, and I’ve predicted correctly in both. But, this may be their best matchup yet, coincidentally, even with the size comparison.
Appalachian State likes to score the ball inside the arc. That’s tough against a Wisconsin team with a good shot-blocker (Nolan Winter) and rim-protector (Steven Crowl) in their frontcourt. The Mountaineers have shot just 33.3 percent from three thus far, and they really struggled from deep in the opener against Miami (OH).
That bodes well for the Badgers defensively, as their issues have been late rotations leading to open triples for other teams in the first two games.
I’m not too worried about Wisconsin getting their own on the offensive end, even if they start slow and build up from there. It should be a similar approach with an array of three-point attempts, as well as touches inside for Steven Crowl, who may not get as many double-teams with the size Appalachian State has.
Ultimately, I think the Badgers crawl away and find a way to cover this one, which I would’ve preferred at the 12.5-point spread, but will still take at the 15.5-point spread.
My prediction: Wisconsin -15.5
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See fanduel.com/sportsbook for details.