After a span of three challenging opponents, all of whom could realistically make the NCAA tournament in March, the Badgers (3-0 overall) will play one of the weakest opponents on their schedule tonight.
The University of North Dakota basketball team, a program that had spent all of its history prior to 2008 in Division II, will enter the Kohl Center with giant slaying aspirations.
Featuring a starting lineup composed entirely of seniors, North Dakota opened its season with a 110-69 rout of Division II Minnesota-Morris.
Despite the program’s lack of stature, there are still some interesting players that could create trouble.
Senior forward Troy Huff is considered one of the best players in the Big Sky conference, leading North Dakota last season with 19.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
In a game against the Badgers in 2010, Huff lead his team as a freshman with 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting in an 83-51 losing effort.
North Dakota has also welcomed Texas Tech transfer senior forward Jaron Nash onto their roster, who made the move to be closer to his father with multiple sclerosis. Against Minnesota-Morris, Nash showed he should be an exciting player, scoring 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
This game will kick off a span of three home games in five nights, with Bowling Green on Thursday and Oral Roberts on Saturday.
