Michael Flowers has played in 132 games to this point of his career with the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team. And in that span, the Badgers' 6-foot-2 senior guard has defended some of the best perimeter players in country.

Flowers' next assignment along those lines -- Davidson sophomore scoring machine Stephen Curry -- comes Friday when the sixth-ranked and third-seeded Badgers (31-4) face the 23rd-ranked and 10th-seeded Wildcats (28-6) in an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional semifinal at Ford Field in Detroit.

"I've been preparing for this game against. ... (former Michigan State players) Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager. (Against former Illinois players) Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown. I've been preparing for this game playing against (Michigan State's) Drew Neitzel and (Indiana's) Eric Gordon and (Michigan's) Manny Harris," Flowers said Monday. "This game, hopefully I can take my lessons learned playing those great players and try to remember what I did against (them) to help me try to contain Curry. ... The preparation for this game has been going on for my whole career here at Wisconsin."

The 6-2, 185-pound Curry -- the son of former NBA player Dell Curry -- is averaging 25.7 points per game this season while shooting 48.8 percent from the field overall, and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. His offensive prowess -- Curry ranks fourth in the country in scoring -- has generated national attention in the aftermath of the NCAA tournament's first week, one in which Curry totaled 70 points in victories over Gonzaga and Georgetown.

"He reminds me of like a (former Gonzaga guard Dan) Dickau," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after Curry poured in 40 points against the Bulldogs. "He has a nice, high pocket, very simple shot. (He) doesn't need space or time to get (it) off. It's simple. All great shooters have a nice, simple stroke, ball doesn't travel too much in their hands. His dad has done a great job with him."

Curry, the Southern Conference player of the year, followed up his performance against Gonzaga by scoring 30 points in Sunday's second-round victory over second-seeded Georgetown.

"He's too good to say you're going to stop him. He has not (been) stopped all year. No one's stopped him," Hoyas coach John Thompson III said Sunday. "There are situations where he is going to score."

Flowers, a two-time Big Ten Conference all-defensive team pick, understands that. His main goal is to make Curry's points difficult to come by.

"He's going to get his points," Flowers said. "All my life, my mom told me that people are going to score on you and whatnot, but you just have to make them work for it. At the end of the game, no matter if he has eight points or 12 or 34, I really want him to say he had to work for every point he got.

"I don't want to give up anything easy. And I definitely don't want to be the one to let my teammates down. ... Just make him work for his points. At the end of the game I want him to be breathless and remember what team he played against and how hard he worked. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that."