Fifth-seeded Wisconsin (22-13) is set to meet 12^th-seeded James Madison (31-3) about 8:40 p.m. Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's South Regional at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

“They caught everyone’s attention Day 1 of the season winning at Michigan State, which was well deserved,” UW coach Greg Gard said of the Dukes. “They were really good in that game and they’ve had a phenomenal year.”

Here is a look at the matchup.

FRONTCOURT

Wisconsin (Tyler Wahl, Steven Crowl) vs. Western Kentucky (T.J. Bickerstaff, Julien Wooden)

Unlike Wisconsin, the Dukes don’t use a traditional center and sometimes use four guards and a forward. Bickerstaff is the team’s best big man and was the best player in the Sun Belt Conference. He averages 13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds and is shooting 62.2%. He is not a three-point threat, though. Wooden is a three-point threat at 40.9%. If Crowl looks to score as he did in the Big Ten tournament, he could have a big game. Wahl’s effectiveness will be affected by the status of his injured right knee.

Advantage: Wisconsin.

BACKCOURT

Wisconsin (Chucky Hepburn, AJ Storr, Max Klesmit) vs. Western Kentucky (Terrence Edwards Jr., Noah Freidel, Xavier Brown)

Expect Edwards to have the ball often, similar to Illinois’ Terrance Shannon Jr. Edwards shoots 35.4% from three-point range, leads the team in free-throw attempts (193) and averages 17.4 points and 3.5 assists. Freidel shoots 37.9% from three-point range and Brown is at 35.3%. Hepburn, Storr and Klesmit all played well in the league tournament. The defense of Hepburn and Klesmit will be critical for UW.

Advantage: Even.

BENCH

Wisconsin (John Blackwell, Nolan Winter, Kamari McGee, Carter Gilmore, Markus Ilver) vs. James Madison (Michael Green, Jaylen Carey, Raekwon Horton)

Green is a dangerous guard who shoots 36.2% from three-point range and has 114 assists and only 48 turnovers. Carey is a 6-foot-8 freshman forward who does most of his damage near the basket. He is shooting 67.8% and averages 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds. Horton hit a huge three-pointer to clinch the victory at Michigan State and is shooting 35.5% from beyond the arc. Blackwell was limited in the Big Ten tournament by an ankle injury suffered in the second game. He has to be mobile to be effective. Winter can provide UW with a three-point threat, and McGee make plays on both ends of the court.

Advantage: Wisconsin.

COACH

Wisconsin’s Greg Gard vs. James Madison’s Mark Byington

Both are accomplished coaches. Gard has led UW to a share of two regular-season Big Ten titles and saw UW reach the Big Ten title game Sunday. Byington is in his fourth season at James Madison and the Dukes are a combined 53-14 in the last two seasons.

Advantage: Even.

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH

How have UW’s injured players responded to an extra day of prep time? Wahl (knee), Klesmit (groin), Hepburn (knee) and Blackwell (ankle) all have been hampered at times. If those players are in good condition, UW should be fine.

Can UW protect the ball? James Madison averages 9.0 steals per game. UW averages only 9.9 turnovers. The Badgers must limit their live-ball turnovers and prevent James Madison from getting out in transition for easy baskets.

UW must contain James Madison’s three-point shooters: James Madison features eight players in the regular rotation who shoot at least 35% from three-point range. Teams are shooting 37.4% from three-point range against UW this season.

Can UW establish control early? Forget the names on the jerseys and that the Badgers are a trendy pick to get upset. The Dukes are the underdogs and the longer the underdog stays close the odds for an upset improve.

Wisconsin prediction vs. James Madison: March Madness first round

Depending on your reading habits, it appears the only people picking UW to get past James Madison and into the second round are the folks in the UW locker room. James Madison has experience and talent and a solid coach, but UW is the better team. If the Badgers play as well as they did during the Big Ten tournament, they will advance.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin vs. James Madison prediction for March Madness first round