With the graduation of No. 14 Wisconsin's star guard Kirk Penney, the Badger backcourt will look to junior Devin Harris to shoulder the bulk of the load this season, beginning against Penn at the Palestra on Friday.
Last season Harris played in all 32 games for Wisconsin en route to becoming the team's second leading scorer behind Penney.
He finished the 2002-03 campaign averaging 12.7 points per game, while contributing 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Equally impressive to his offensive statistics was how well the 6'3" guard protected the basketball. Harris averaged under two turnovers per game despite logging over 34 minutes per contest.
"I think [after] watching the film we will try to limit his penetration. He really affects the game in a lot of different ways," Penn senior guard Jeff Schiffner said.
"He's quick, he passes the ball well. He strokes it well. We'll have to pay extra close attention to him."
In the Badgers' final game of the season -- a loss in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament against then-No. 1 Kentucky -- Harris poured in 15 points on just nine shots.
He is known for his exceptional speed and ability to create his own shot -- a skill that past Blue and Red teams have struggled to defend. In last year's season-ending loss to Oklahoma State, Cowboys guard Victor Williams was able to utilize his speed to beat the Quakers defense and create shots not only for himself but for his teammates as well. He finished with 29 points in the Cowboys' win.
"We just need to play good team defense. One guy can't beat you, he can hurt you, but we just need to play well as a team," junior guard Tim Begley said. "Last year, [Oklahoma State's] point guard killed us, we just need to contain."
If the Red and Blue hope to change their fortunes from last year's final game, slowing down Harris is crucial
Penn senior guard Charlie Copp -- the smallest and fastest of Penn's guard trio -- should find himself matched up with Harris most often.
"Charlie is going to do a great job," Begley said. "He's one of our better defenders."
But if the Red and Blue want to stop the speedy guard, it will call for a total team effort on the defensive side of the ball.
"We're going to try to keep him in front of us best we can," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "It would be nice if we could just keep him in front of us and not have to worry about him, but unfortunately for us, he can shoot the ball very well also."
With such a good all-around game, Harris will undoubtedly create mismatches against the Red and Blue's defense.
Penn will need an exceptional defensive game from Copp -- a player known for his energy on the court -- as well as help from other defenders, if the Quakers entertain any thoughts of shutting down the explosive guard.
