Wisconsin vs. Butler Preview: Will the Bulldogs Continue Down the Upset Trail?

When the Wisconsin Badgers and Butler Bulldogs get it on Thursday night, we will see a matchup between one program that has been largely underrated or even disrespected in Wisconsin and one that has become a March Madness marvel, Butler.

Rodney Dangerfield vs. Justin Bieber? Nah!

Anyway, these two teams will go at each other from opening tip-off to the final buzzer and every moment in between.

The Badgers (25-8, 13-5 Big Ten) have learned over the years that it's hard to grab the Big Ten spotlight. 

They have learned to compete every year in the shadows of the Ohio States, Purdues and whatever other teams happen to be hot in a given year.

Butler, playing in a mid-major conference, has drawn the attention of the college basketball world as they have won 10 NCAA tournament games in the last four years.

Last year's magical run to the title game against Duke placed the Bulldogs in a unique spot in March Madness history.

When the ball goes up at the beginning of the game, all of this won't matter. It will just be Bo's Badgers and Brad's Bulldogs battling it out.

Here is a quick preview of what should be a fantastic game to remember...

Backcourt Matchups

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TUCSON, AZ - MARCH 19: Jordan Taylor #11 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates during their game against the Kansas State Wildcats during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at McKale Center on March 19, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona. (

Wisconsin

The Badgers backcourt is led by All-Big Ten first-team selection, Jordan Taylor (18.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.8 APG).

While Taylor (pictured) didn't have a big scoring night against Kansas State to get to this game, he dished out six assists, had no turnovers and blocked Jacob Pullen's potential game-tying three-pointer with less than five seconds to go in the game.

Taylor can both get to the line and make you pay or stroke it from beyond the arc.

Taylor is joined by freshman Josh Gasser (5.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.2 APG) and wing Tim Jarmusz (3.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG)

This group takes care of the ball. Together, they nearly have a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. That's unheard of!

In fact, the Badgers only average a mind-blowing seven turnovers per game. That is insane!

Butler

The Bulldogs backcourt is also led by a star, Shelvin Mack. Even though Mack has come up big all season, he took things to another level in Butler's upset victory against Pitt.

Mack went 10-of-16 from the field, including 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. Sure, he almost squandered this stellar performance by a last-second foul, but Pitt returned the favor, and the Bulldogs found a way to win again (more about that in a minute).

Mack is joined on the perimeter by Shawn Vanzant (8.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG), Ronald Nored (5.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG) or Chase Stigall (4.0 PPG).

Advantage: Wisconsin

Frontcourt Matchups

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WASHINGTON - MARCH 19: Matt Howard #54 of the Butler Bulldogs tries to put a shot over Nasir Robinson #35 of the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Verizon Center on March 19, 2011 in Washington, DC

Wisconsin

The Badgers also have another All-Big Ten first-teamer, this one in their frontcourt. Jon Leuer leads Wisconsin in both scoring (18.7 PPG) and rebounding (7.3 RPG). Leuer (6'10", 228 lbs.) has a great inside-outside game.

Keaton Nankivil, a 6'8", 240 lbs senior forward, leads the team in blocks (1.2 BPG) and three-point shooting percentage (45.6 percent).

Throw in Mike Bruesewitz (4.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG) off the bench and you have a big, tough frontcourt trio.

Butler

Senior forward, Matt Howard, not only leads the Bulldogs in scoring (16.7 PPG) and rebounding (7.7 RPG), he is the heart and soul of this team.

Howard's last-second heroics in both of their previous games in this year's tournament literally paved the way for Butler to possibly make another miracle march to the Final Four.

ESPN's Jay Bilas had this to say about the senior forward:

"From his first day at Butler, Howard set himself apart with his capacity for work and how hard he played on every play. He is a skilled player who understands the game, but he is also a high-level competitor. It is one thing to know how to play. Howard does. It is quite another to know how to play and play all out, all the time. It is no fun to play against a guy like that. And it is no fun to play against Matt Howard."

Butler also sends 6'11" bruising sophomore center Andrew Smith (8.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG) out onto the floor to battle.

Freshman forward Khyle Marshall has a great motor coming off of the bench and is aggressive on both ends of the floor.

Advantage: Butler

Coaches

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WASHINGTON - MARCH 19: Butler Bulldogs head coach Brad Stevens instructs his players from the bench during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Verizon Center on March 19, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Image

Wisconsin

Bo Ryan has come up through the college coaching ranks in the state of Wisconsin. His teams at Wisconsin-Platteville were four-time D-III champs. His record there was 353-76 in 15 seasons.

He coached two years at Wisconsin-Milwaukee before arriving in Madison, and coaching the Badgers for the last 10 years. Ryan has posted a 242-90 record, winning (or sharing) the Big Ten title three times and making it to the NCAA tournament every year.

Ryan's teams have previously made it to the Sweet 16 twice and the Elite Eight once.

Butler

Brad Stevens has quickly made a name for himself in D-I coaching.

In four years under his leadership, Butler has a 114-24 record, made it to the NCAA tournament all four years, advanced to the title game last year and now is in the Sweet 16.

Stevens combines great game preparation with fantastic in-game decision-making.

The Bulldogs come ready to play and can make adjustments on the fly because of how Stevens manages each game.

Advantage: Pick 'em 

Prediction

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WASHINGTON - MARCH 19: Ronald Nored #5 of Butler University celebrates with teammate Shelvin Mack #1 following their game against Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Verizon Center on March 19, 2011 in Washington

Both teams have strong, physical players who compete on every possession.

Both teams can run, but are also comfortable running half-court sets.

Wisconsin is No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense (58.5 PPG). The Badgers will want to keep the pace of the game more on the deliberate side.

Going into the 2011 NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs allowed just 58.0 points per game during their season-ending nine-game winning streak and have now won 29 of their last 30 games when yielding fewer than 60 points.

Both teams have two great players who will influence the outcome of the game.

While the Badgers have a lot of "big-game experience," Butler has beaten an impressive collection of teams both in last year's tournament (Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State) as well as this year (Old Dominion and Pitt).

This may be the difference in the outcome of what could be an instant classic.

Prediction: Butler by a point