If there ever was a game that will feature two teams with contrasting styles of play, this is it.

Wisconsin-Green Bay will bring their disciplined offense into Chick Evans Field House tonight for a 7:05 game against NIU’s runnin‘ Huskies. And if basketball fans thought Monday night’s “flat-out war” with Eastern Illinois was a hard-fought battle, they haven’t seen anything yet.

“If (Monday) night was a war, then this is going to be times two because they’re a very physical, very tough (team),” NIU head coach Jim Rosborough said after Tuesday’s practice.

The Phoenix will try to counteract the Huskies up-tempo brand of basketball with a style of play that some would consider boring.

“They’ll run maybe 30 to 40 seconds off the clock before they take a shot,” NIU point guard Donald Whiteside said. “They might try to slow the game down, but as you know, we like to run the ball a lot. So, we’ll look to get it off (the glass) and go—and press them right away.”

In order to promote a full-court game, the Huskies will probably try to reinforce the issue with a full-court press. While none of the NIU coaches would admit they are planning to press Green Bay, most basketball experts agree that one way to get a patient team out of their game plan is to extend the defense.

“There aren’t a whole lot of things we can do (defensively),” Rosborough said. “If they want to hold it (for) eight or ten (passes), I hope we’ve got enough overplay that we can get some steals and do some other things. But they run their offenses well too. They’re a very well disciplined team.”

Green Bay is 1-0 this year after losing three starters from last season’s 18-9 squad, which beat the Huskies 71-67 and 75-68 during the 1987-88 campaign. Saturday night the Phoenix won its season-opener against College of Saint Francis 71-36.

In that game, and in a preseason win over Marathon Oil, Green Bay was led by 6-foot freshman guard Tony Bennett. Bennett, the son of Green Bay head coach Dick Bennett, gathered 18 points and ten assists against Marathon Oil and pitched in 16 points against Saint Francis.

“(Bennett) is a good shooter,” said NIU assistant coach Bill Harris. “He’s a coach’s son who doesn’t make many mistakes, knows how to run the ballclub and is a fine shooter.

“Defensively, they are just as fine a club as you’ll see all year long. Part of that is the great defense they play, and the other part is because they have such great patience at the offensive end.”

Antwon Harmon, who hit the shot that beat EIU Monday night, said the Huskies are ready for another tough ballgame.

“I’ve been hearing the same thing I heard about Eastern—they’re real tough on defense,” Harmon said. “All I can say is you guys just be there—we’re going to play our asses off.”