Delaware Blue Hens vs Wisconsin Badgers Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 1

Delaware won its opener by 61 points, which sounds impressive until you see who it played. Wisconsin won its opener by 7, which sounds shaky until you see how the Badgers grind games down. Friday at the Kohl Center sorts out what either result meant.

The Matchup

Delaware visits Wisconsin on Friday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, on B1G+, with Wisconsin a 24.5-point favorite and a total of 152.5. Delaware's opening margin is fool's gold, and everyone involved knows it.

Delaware is 1-0 after beating Notre Dame of Maryland 105-44. That is a non-Division I opponent, and a 61-point win over one inflates every early number attached to the Blue Hens. Read nothing into it beyond this: Delaware's players got shots up and shared the ball. The real Delaware, from last season, went 10-21, scoring 67.7 points a game and allowing 74.0.

Wisconsin went 24-11 last season, scoring 83.0 and allowing 76.1. Delaware's part of that line rests on a non-Division I blowout, and Wisconsin's one real game was closer than the crowd wanted. Wisconsin is 1-0 after beating Denver 75-68 at home - a win, and a closer one than the crowd wanted.

So Friday is Delaware's first real test and Wisconsin's chance to look like a heavyweight. The spread says Wisconsin rolls. Wisconsin's style says something slower.

Key Factors

Pace is the whole argument. Wisconsin plays deliberate, physical, half-court basketball, and deliberate teams cover huge spreads only when the underdog cannot score at all. Delaware has scorers.

Chuck Bailey III put up 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting in 20 minutes in the opener, DeShawn Harris-Smith ran the team with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists, and Steven Solano added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The opponent was overmatched, but the ball movement and shot selection were real, and a team that shares it like that can trade baskets long enough to keep a slow game inside a big number.

Wisconsin's opener cuts the other way for favorite backers. The Badgers beat Denver by 7 at home, 75-68, with Eian Elmer scoring 18, Braeden Carrington 15, and Owen Foxwell 14 with 7 assists. Solid, professional, and nowhere near a rout. Denver is a better team than Delaware, but a favorite that just won its home opener by single digits is being asked to win this one by 25.

The honest counterpoint is Delaware's real level. Ten wins last season, 74 points a game allowed, and a defense that has not seen anything like Wisconsin's size and screening. If the Badgers get Solano in foul trouble and start owning the offensive glass, the second half can become a slow squeeze that still ends in a 30-point margin. The pick needs Delaware's guards to keep scoring in the half court, in the loudest building they will visit all year.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.