Wisconsin vs North Carolina: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Radio, Game Time and More

The No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels will host the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday night as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. While it's difficult to determine the magnitude of a game this early in the season, it's safe to say that it will feature two National Championship contenders.

North Carolina entered the season as the clear No. 1 team, but after getting knocked off by UNLV, they have dipped in the rankings a bit. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Tar Heels are the most explosive and dangerous offensive team in the country.

Wisconsin is in a very familiar spot as the Badgers have long been an elite team under head coach Bo Ryan. The Badgers are currently undefeated at 6-0, but don't get the publicity of teams like North Carolina, Duke and Ohio State since they are predicated on defense first.

This is a classic matchup of yin and yang as North Carolina's high-tempo offense will match up with Wisconsin's stifling defense. It may be too early to speculate, but this could very well be a preview of the 2012 National Championship Game and it should be a blast to watch.

Where: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.

When: Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Listen: WIBA 1310-AM (Wisconsin) and WCHL 1360-AM (North Carolina)

Betting Line: North Carolina (-8)

Key Storyline: Can UNC Bounce Back from Loss to UNLV?

It may be just a blip on the radar, but a North Carolina team that entered the season with so much hype was humbled last week by the UNLV Runnin' Rebs, 90-80. It isn't often that a team is going to go undefeated, so a loss in and of itself isn't a big deal, but the Tar Heels were beaten at their own game by a mid-major team.

The loss could hurt the psyche of the North Carolina players, but it could just as easily prove to be a motivating factor. The great teams don't allow losses to pile up and have a penchant for bouncing back quickly, so Wednesday's game will say a lot about where the Tar Heels are in terms of being an elite team.

Who Might Not Play for Wisconsin: No Injuries to Report

Who Might Not Play for North Carolina: F Harrison Barnes

Sophomore forward Harrison Barnes is widely regarded as North Carolina's best player, but after severely rolling his ankle against UNLV on Saturday his status is in question for tonight's matchup with Wisconsin.

Barnes has been the driving force for North Carolina so far this season, averaging over 17 points and close to five rebounds per game. The fact that he decided to stay at North Carolina for at least another year rather than enter the NBA essentially made the Tar Heels the favorites this season. Without Barnes North Carolina isn't the same team, so Wisconsin would stand a decent chance to pull off the upset.

Top 25 Implications

It may be a bit premature to worry too much about rankings, but it's safe to say that the winner of this game will receive a nice boost in the polls. North Carolina is currently ranked ahead of Wisconsin despite suffering a loss, so a win would likely vault the Badgers up a few spots and safely into the Top Five.

Conversely, a loss would give the Tar Heels two on the young season, and while the pollsters will probably give North Carolina the benefit of the doubt, it may knock them outside the Top 10 for the time being. Rankings honestly aren't overly important at this juncture, but a win would be huge for Wisconsin's confidence alone, while another loss might take its toll on the Tar Heels.

What They're Saying

On the heels of a shocking upset against UNLV on Saturday, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams certainly isn't pulling any punches. Many North Carolina fans with preferred seating apparently sold their tickets to UNLV fans for the Las Vegas Invitational game, making it a hostile atmosphere behind the UNC bench, according to Andrew Carter of The Charlotte Observer.

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I am not friendly with anybody else on the other team, and for some of our fans to get their tickets through the Rams Club and sell their tickets to UNLV boosters that are sitting right behind our families, I don't like that...If you sell your tickets that you get from the Rams Club to somebody else and they come in cheering for UNLV, then I've got no use for you.

It's frustrating, it's disappointing, he said. Do you think ESPN likes Fox to be successful? You think Nike likes Under Armour to be successful? I mean, I'm competing out there. I don't like our fans to help the other team by either giving (away) or selling their tickets. That's disappointing.

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No team in college basketball pushes the pace and scores in transition quite like North Carolina. That fact isn't lost on Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan, who has stressed the importance of getting back on defense to his team all week, according to Jim Polzin of Madison.com.

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The idea is to get back, protect the rim, and then protect against shooters, and that takes five guys. You definitely want to be in a five-on-five game with them. If you're in an open-area, three-on-three, Carolina wins three-on-three. Carolina will beat anybody in the country three-on-three, four-on-four. Five-on-five is your best chance.

 

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Wisconsin Player to Watch: PG Jordan Taylor

Everything, on both ends of the floor, goes through senior point guard Jordan Taylor for the Badgers. Taylor runs the point masterfully in Wisconsin's slow-paced, ball-control offense and he makes each and every possession count. He is averaging nearly six assists per game on the season and chipping in 11 points to boot, although that number figures to go up.

Taylor's true value in this game will be his defensive capabilities. The Tar Heels love to push the pace, but it won't be easy against a team as defensively disciplined as Wisconsin and a point guard as instinctive as Taylor. Even if Taylor goes scoreless in the game (which is unlikely), he will be considered successful as long as he plays great defense.

North Carolina Player to Watch: F John Henson

This spot is normally reserved for Harrison Barnes, but since his status is unclear at this point, much of the offensive burden may fall on the shoulders of forward John Henson. North Carolina is a team that likes to get out and run, but the Badgers are going to make that as difficult as possible, meaning the Tar Heels may have to run more half-court sets than usual.

The 6'11" Henson will need to come up huge if that is the case, both in the scoring and rebounding department. Henson is second on the team in scoring with nearly 16 points per game and first in rebounding with 10 per game. If he can excel in traditional offensive sets, then it will make life very difficult for the Badgers.

Key Matchup: Wisconsin Transition Defense vs. UNC Transition Offense

This is the matchup that will ultimately decide who wins this game. Perhaps no team in the nation is more disciplined defensively than Bo Ryan's Badgers, but few teams have the ability to run the floor like Roy Williams' Tar Heels. Because of that, a clash of styles is inevitable and whichever team can install its style best will come out on top.

The key for Wisconsin will be to get waves of defenders back on defense following every made shot or every rebound from North Carolina. This will eliminate the easy layups and open three-point jumpers that make the Tar Heels so dangerous offensively. It should be very interesting to see which style wins out in the end.

Prediction

North Carolina 75, Wisconsin 70