Butler has made a surprising run in the tournament
Matt Howard has led Butler in two very close games. Reuters

High-flying action won't be on the menu when the Butler Bulldogs face the Wisconsin Badgers in New Orleans tonight in the Sweet 16.

Many doubted Butler's ability to return to the Final Four after last year's rather improbable run to the final against Duke.

Butler is led by big man Matt Howard and guard Shelvin Mack.

It was Howard who put in the game-winning lay up against Old Dominion to keep the Bulldogs' tournament hopes alive. The senior leads the team in scoring (16.7 points per game) and rebounding (7.7 rebounds per game.)

Mack is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game. The junior scored 30 points against Pittsburgh in another game that was decided by the last shot of the game.

But here the Bulldogs are, in the Sweet 16, and two games away from a second consecutive trip to the Final Four.

Standing in their way is Wisconsin. The Badgers play a typical brand of Big 10 basketball -- hard-nosed defense combined with a slowdown offense.

The Badgers are led by an upper-classmen inside-outside game of power forward John Leuer and guard Jordan Taylor. Both are averaging 18 points per game or slightly better.

Leuer can give defenses major headaches. He's 6'10 and can shoot from outside, penetrate, and score down low. He scored 19 points against Kansas State in the the Second Round victory.

Taylor, on the other hand, is coming off perhaps his worst performances of the season. The 6'3 guard shot just two-of-16 from the field against Kansas State, and has struggled with his shooting in the three games prior. Otherwise, Taylor has been one of the better guards in the Big 10.

The winner plays the winner of BYU-Florida on Saturday.

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