Terriers are not happy just being at the dance

At about 2:50 p.m. today, the Wofford Terriers will take the court on the biggest stage college basketball has to offer -- the NCAA tournament.

And though it is the Terriers' first time in the Big Dance, coach Mike Young doesn't expect his team to betray nerves against No. 4 seed Wisconsin at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

"They may prove me wrong," Young said of his 13th-seeded Terriers, 26-8 and the Southern Conference champions. "But we've been in a number of first-time situations this season, and our guys have not blinked.

"I know we are going to play well and play hard," he said. "And if they do that, what more can you ask?"

Wofford vs. Wisconsin is perhaps the ultimate David vs. Goliath matchup in the tournament's first round. With 1,450 students, Wofford is the smallest school in this year's field of 65 teams, while Wisconsin has an enrollment of more than 42,000.

The 23-8 Badgers are making their 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including nine straight under coach Bo Ryan, seeking his 600th career win today. And the last time Ryan's team faced Wofford, the Badgers crushed the Terriers, 70-43, in 2007.

The Badgers are a 10-point favorite today, but Terriers players sounded confident when they saw Wisconsin's name come up next to Wofford's during Selection Sunday.

"Big Ten basketball is about defense and rebounding," Wofford forward Noah Dahlman, the SoCon player of the year, told reporters last Sunday. "That is what our team is about. They've got some great players, but I think we match up well with them."

Wofford and Wisconsin play similar halfcourt styles, stressing sound defense and patient offense. The Badgers allow foes to average 56.2 points, while Wofford gives up 61.2 points per contest.

But the Badgers do it with much bigger players. Wisconsin has eight players at 6-6 or taller, including two 6-10s, a 6-11 and a 7-footer, while the 6-6 Dahlman is Wofford's tallest frontcourt regular. Corey Godzinski, a 6-9 senior, averages 13 minutes a game as a shooting guard.

"It's just so different, our leagues are so different," Young said. "Teams like Michigan State and Illinois can guard (the Badgers) in ways that we can't. They can do things offensively against them that we just can't, because the bodies are so different. But I think we'll have a good feel for what we can do against them."

Dahlman and junior guards Jamar Diggs and Cameron Rundles certainly should. They played AAU ball with four Badgers -- 6-10 junior Jon Leuer, 6-1 guard Jordan Taylor, 6-6 forward Mike Bruesewitz and 6-10 sophomore Jared Berggren.

Senior guard Trevon Hughes (15.4 ppg) is the Badgers' top scorer, followed by Leuer (14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg). Taylor is the top assists man with 3.6 per game.

Wofford took the Big Ten's Michigan State to the final minutes before losing, 72-60, back in December; the Badgers split two games with the Spartans, and were 4-2 against ranked teams, including a win over Duke.

Wisconsin senior guards Hughes and Jason Bohannon can blow hot and cold, however. They were 5 of 26 shooting in a loss to Illinois in the Big Ten tournament last week.

And the last time Wisconsin faced a SoCon team in the tournament, Davidson's Stephen Curry lit up the Badgers for 33 points in a 73-56 win in the Sweet 16.