Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, March 26, 2015

Wisconsin hopes to take another step toward returning to the Final Four for a second season in a row tonight when the No. 1 Badgers take on No. 4 North Carolina in a West Region Sweet 16 matchup in Los Angeles that tips at 7:47 p.m. ET.

The keys to a Wisconsin win? Here you go.

1. Added depth. Traevon Jackson says he will play, a first since being out with a foot injury suffered Jan. 11 in a loss at Rutgers. The senior point man says he has no limitations. We shall see. The Badgers lack depth. So, bringing Jackson back into the fold is big-in whatever capacity. Bronson Koenig has excelled in Jackson?s starting point guard role, leading UW to an 18-1 mark. But Jackson could be a weapon off a bench that has lacked much production beyond Zak Showalter and Duje Dukan. Jackson is a big-shot maker and penetrator. How much will Jackson he able to play? And what type of impact will he have? Whatever it is, it figures to be key.

2. Big Frank. Wisconsin has a weapon unlike any in the nation in Frank Kaminsky, a 7-footer whose versatility makes him a matchup nightmare.

?A big problem for us, who is going to guard Frank?" North Carolina coach Roy Williams said earlier this week. "It really is. Is one of our big guys going to go out there?"

Tar Heel big man Kennedy Meeks hurt a knee vs. Arkansas last week. The 6-9 Meeks may not be able to play and will be a game-time decision; if he can?t go, Joel James may have to be the guy. It will be vital for the Badgers to get the ball to Kaminsky early to see how UNC is trying to deal with the big fella. If Kaminsky is having his way early, UW will be difficult to beat.

3. Take it easy. The Badgers are famous for typically playing at a steady and deliberate tempo, forcing foes to operate at their pace. But North Carolina has said it wants to try to speed things up and get Wisconsin out of its comfort zone. The Badgers commit the fewest turnovers in the nation, making just 7.4 per game. That limits the ability of foes to get out in transition for easy buckets.

"We're going to try to pressure them defensively," UNC point guard Marcus Paige said. "They only turn the ball over seven times a game, so they're not going to cough the ball up or anything like that.

"But if we push them off the 3-point line and try to deny their passes, hopefully we can disrupt their flow offensively.

"I think teams that have pressured them a little bit have done a better job … I think defensive pressure is going to be huge for this game."

So, it will be incumbent on the Wisconsin ballhandlers to play with poise. That?s where having a ballhandler like Jackson back in the fold could be a big asset. The Badgers want to keep this game in 50s or 60s.

About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

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