Badgers Have Plenty of Holes And Yet Plenty of Promise

Tonight I write not as a journalist but simply as a Wisconsin fan, a Wisconsin fan still unable to comprehend what exactly the Badgers have for a 2012-2013 team. After knocking off No. 2 Indiana on Tuesday, it seemed as if the sky was the limit. UW was 4-0 in Big Ten play and in the midst of a 7-game winning streak with Iowa the final opponent on a three-game “road trip”. The Badgers were alone on top of the conference standings and poised to move into the rankings and potentially into the top 15 or 20.

Then the game started in Iowa City.

From the opening tip, well I guess more like from the opening defensive possession, the Badgers lacked energy. It would have been one thing to see UW shoot 22% from the field during the first 20 minutes (which they did), but it is an entirely different and far less excusable issue when that poor shooting is accompanied but a lack of hustle and defensive intensity. Ultimately that lethal cocktail of awful put the Badgers in a 30-10 hole that proved simply too deep even for George Marshall to climb out of.

Despite fighting an illness I thought Bo Ryan and his staff coached a Brad Stevens-esque game in Bloomington. The game plan for the Badgers was flawless and the in-game adjustments made, especially with regard to keeping Cody Zeller at bay, were off the charts good. But when it came time to face Iowa Saturday night, the coaching staff did not seem nearing as well prepared.

First and foremost, Ryan allowed the deficit to reach 30-10 without calling a timeout. Now I recognize that Coach Ryan’s style is to let his players, specifically his seniors, work themselves out of funks, Iowa was running them out of the gym before they even realized they were inside. There was zero rhythm offensively, the ball control was shaky at best, and the defense lacked any ounce of integrity when it came to rotations and to stopping penetration. A timeout was just begging to be called and unfortunately it was simply too late by the time Ryan finally pulled the trigger.

Second, and I hate to beat a dead horse here; George Marshall needs to be on the floor, especially when UW begins to struggle. Marshall is going to make mistakes, after all he is a freshman and freshman have a tendency to do that. But for every mistake Marshall makes he makes two plays. He is by far the most dynamic player UW has in the back court and except for flashes from Brust and Jackson, is the only guard capable of creating penetration any time he touches the ball.

After the win at Indiana, Jackson was getting plenty of praise. Don’t get me wrong he was worthy of that praise for sure. Though he didn’t exactly light up the box score like many came away believing (3-for-9 from the field, 2 assists, 2 TO), Jackson hit clutch free throws and was stone cold on a big jump shot late when the Badgers were looking to put the game away. This was the 2^nd straight solid performance for the once-maligned sophomore and seemed to mark the beginning of the end of UW’s backcourt inconsistency.

Saturday Jackson took regression to a whole new level. Against an energized Iowa defense the Westerville, OH native fouled out with just 3 points on 1-for-10 shooting, adding just 1 assist and 2 rebounds. Meanwhile Marshall, his counterpart in the backcourt, nearly brought Wisconsin back all the way from that early 20-point deficit. Getting consistent playing time in large part thanks to significant foul trouble up and down the UW roster, Marshall took advantage and played without fear for the first time all year. That allowed him to open up his game and knock down 20 second-half points on 7-of-10 shooting, adding an assist to the stat line as well. So let the Rob Wilson comparisons commence.

Yes, once again we are seeing one of Bo Ryan’s most glaring weaknesses on full display. Ryan is one of the best coaches in the country but he has an almost unavoidable tendency to lock in on his rotations early in the season, becoming unwilling to change things up when certain players fail to perform. Certainly Ryan will ride the hot hand, but it just seems that with some on the roster he does so reluctantly. Wilson was that guy last year and unfortunately it appears like Marshall has stepped right in and taken his place.

The problem isn’t that Marshall doesn’t get his chances; it is that his leash is DRAMATICALLY shorter than Jackson’s. Marshall is an aggressive player and is set up for failure each and every time he is forced to come into the game and remain mistake-free in order to avoid being sent right back to the bench. The disparity between Ryan’s leash on Marshall and his leash on Jackson is quite honestly holding the Badgers back at this point, stunting not only their development as individual players but also stunting the development of the team as a whole.

Having said that, this senior class is every bit as culpable as Ryan when it comes to the failure to develop any semblance of consistency in the 2012-2013 UW season. Tuesday night that senior class led the way in the upset of Indiana. Mike Brusewitz brought the energy from the beginning and both Evans and Berggren followed suit, making plays when UW needed them most. Although Bruesewitz brought that same energy again in Iowa City (fouled out with 7 points and 9 rebounds), Berggren was nowhere to be found the entire first half and Evans was largely non-existent the entire game. When Wisconsin needed its seniors to step up, they just flat out didn’t do it.

Thankfully I am sitting here ranting while UW sits atop the Big Ten standings at 4-1. That being said, the next month consists of nothing but NCAA Tournament-caliber opponents and UW’s good start to conference play means nothing if the Badgers are unable to keep it up. This team has talent, has fight, and has a coach who is better than anyone else on this planet at maximizing talent and getting a team to play to the best of its ability.

Losing to Iowa is getting old but in splitting two difficult conference road games this is not a terrible week. Tuesday is the first day of class and hopefully the first time Wisconsin fans will see in person what I saw this week in Bloomington. Having seen what this team is capable of and knowing how adept Bo Ryan is at getting the most out of his players, I see no reason why Wisconsin should not find itself in the thick of the Big Ten title race and comfortable when Selection Sunday comes around. 

Badgers Pull Off Shocker And Keep Hoosier Domination Alive

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Just a few weeks ago, Wisconsin men’s basketball was not even considered a team worthy of NCAA Tournament consideration. After Tuesday night’s shocking upset on the road against No. 2 Indiana (3-1 Big Ten, 15-2 Overall), the Badgers (4-0 Big Ten, 13-4 Overall) are once again in the conversation for a Big Ten title. In front of 17,472 Hoosier fans in shock at Assembly Hall, Wisconsin pulled off the impossible with a 64-59 win.

After two lackluster efforts against Penn State and Nebraska, the Badgers seem like a completely different team since a six-day break prior to last Saturday’s defeat of then-No. 12 Illinois. After crushing the Illini with a 23-point victory, the ever-present Badgers never let IU out of their sights, keeping the game within two possessions before a second-half run gave them a 10-point lead they would not relinquish.

Whatever concerns UW had heading into their first truly hostile environment about the play of guard Traevon Jackson went away early as the Westerville, Ohio-native had easily his best performance of a young career, finishing with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and just 2 turnovers. Freshman Sam Dekker also made a major impact, validating last week’s Big Ten freshman of the week honor with 10 points off the UW bench.

But regardless of what the numbers might say, senior forward Mike Bruesewitz was the clear leader of the Badger effort. In a game he said he had circled at the beginning of the year, Bruesewitz made the most of it with 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. More important were Bruesewitz’s intangibles, picking up several loose balls and keeping the Badgers mentally composed throughout.

“I was just trying to preach and tell the guys ‘stay loose, stay loose’ throughout the game,” Bruesewitz said. “Otherwise environments like this will swallow you up.”

After Wisconsin surged out to a 51-41 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining, the Hoosiers responded with a 10-1 run capped off by a three-pointer from IU freshman Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell with just under 5 minutes remaining that got the Hoosiers within 1 at 52-51.

“That was a huge shot for them because that could have been the turning point,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “Fortunately our guys had enough will.”

That will ultimately allowed UW to bounce back from that run with a 10-1 run of their own, effectively sealing the game with two Jackson free throws at the 40 second mark.

Free throws have been an issue all season with Wisconsin shooting just 61% as a team at the line entering play on Tuesday. Despite having yet to face a real test in the way of having to make pressure free throws to close out a game, UW looked as if it had been in the moment all year, making 6-of-8 at the line down the stretch to erase any hopes of an Indiana comeback.

“I think the misses were a fluke,” UW senior forward Jared Berggren said. “Now we are back to our old selves.”

With the Indiana becoming the highest ranked team Wisconsin has beaten on the road in school history, the Badgers have now beaten Indiana in 11 straight games dating all the way back to the tenure of former IU coach Kelvin Sampson. Just a few weeks after being squarely on the proverbial bubble, UW is now in the drivers seat for a conference title. With that as the focus, Wisconsin will have to keep their celebrations short-lived.

“We’ve got Iowa on Saturday and they knocked us off twice last year,” Brusewitz said. “We owe them something.”

Given little chance to compete in the Big Ten, the Badgers might be the only ones not surprised to see their name at the top of the standings.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys with a lot of heart,” Bruesewitz added. “We’ve got a guy with a big red afro and a guy with a flat top. What else do you need?”

Streaking Badgers Face Tough Task in Bloomington

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.-Coming off by far their best performance of the season Saturday against Illinois, Wisconsin faces No. 2 Indiana at perhaps the best time possible. Although the Hoosiers (3-0 Big Ten, 15-1 Overall) have not beaten UW since the Kelvin Sampson era, the Badgers (3-0 Big Ten, 12-4 Overall) will have to have a near-perfect effort just to compete against an IU team that can make a good case as the best in the nation.

First and foremost, Wisconsin will have to get Indiana to play at a slower pace. The Hoosiers enter Tuesday night leading the nation scoring 87.9 points per game, a total at which UW simply cannot compete. But if there is a team out there destined to be the kryptonite for IU, it is the Badgers. In addition to winning 10 straight in the series, Wisconsin enters the game giving up just 50.2 points per game during its six-game winning streak and ranks sixth in the country in points allowed at just 54.7 per game for the year.

One of the hallmarks of Wisconsin basketball is ball security and that will have to be on display in Bloomington for the Badgers to be competitive. UW leads the nation turning the ball over just 8.9 times per game while Indiana forces a Big Ten-best 16.4 turnovers per contest. The Hoosiers play at times with their defense being their best offense, something that Wisconsin’s guards will have to neutralize in order to slow the pace of the game down to a level at which UW can be in a position to pull off the upset.

Though the 3-0 start for Indiana is perhaps unsurprising, many wrote off this UW team after a very unremarkable non-conference season that included four losses and just two wins against postseason-worthy competition. While wins over Nebraska and Penn State were anything but noteworthy, Saturday’s 23-point win over then-No. 12 Illinois got many a head turned back in the Badgers’ direction.

With first place in the loaded Big Ten conference on the line in this battle between the conference’s last two unbeaten teams, the stage is certainly set for UW to send shockwaves through the college basketball world with a victory at Assembly Hall.

Badgers Begin Defining Stretch With Statement Win

Having failed to notch a truly marquee win in non-conference play, Wisconsin men’s basketball entered the conference season in need of a few big ones in order to make a 15^th straight NCAA Tournament. Although they were able to avoid setbacks against lowly Penn State and Nebraska last week, the defining part of the Badgers’ season didn’t begin until Saturday’s game against 12^th-ranked Illinois (1-3 Big Ten, 14-4 Overall), the beginning of an 11-game stretch in which every opponent is a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender. On the strength of a 14-0 run to start the game, Wisconsin (3-0 Big Ten, 12-4 Overall) got the statement victory they desperately needed, defeating the Illini by a final score of 74-51.

Saturday’s effort by UW was exactly what the Badger faithful had been waiting for. Wisconsin played with a ton of energy from the opening tip and was able to quickly snap out of their two distinct “sloppy” periods, stretches of poor play that have been an issue all season.

“We were knocking down shots finally…” UW senior forward Jared Berggren said. “It was good to finally get a complete effort.”

Though the shots were falling, and that was certainly a big part of the blowout, Wisconsin won again with defense first. The Badgers held Illinois scoreless over the first 6:47 and kept the Illini in single digits through over 16 minutes of play. Despite a 10-0 second half run, the Illini were never able to close within less than 18, finishing the game at just 35% shooting and 2-for-14 from three-point range. To make matters even worse, Wisconsin dominated on the boards, finishing with 18 offensive rebounds and a 43-24 overall rebounding advantage.

“A lot of credit goes to our scout team…” UW senior forward Mike Bruesewitz said. “They did a great job of getting us ready.”

While Saturday’s win might get the Badgers back on the radar, there is plenty of work left to do in order to solidify a spot in the NCAA Tournament and to compete for a Big Ten title. That work begins with Tuesday night’s matchup at No. 5 Indiana, one of just three remaining unbeaten teams (including UW) in conference play.

Despite squeaking out a victory last week in Lincoln, the Badgers have struggled away from the Kohl Center this season and Indiana is arguably the best team in the country playing on its home floor. With 10 more games against potential tournament teams before a “respite” at Northwestern, the Badgers cannot afford to rest on the laurels of a good start and a statement win.

“That’s probably as good as we’ve played all year…” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “But tomorrow we are practicing for next. That’s how short lived this win will be.”

More than anything else, the Badgers need to get back to doing what they do best: playing solid defense, taking care of the ball, and taking good shots. Saturday was one of the first games in which they were able to do that on a consistent basis, a good sign heading into this difficult and defining stretch of play.

“The guys are working at it, but we will see what happens in the next game,” Ryan said of the defensive effort. “They are trying to learn the rules, trying to learn our absolutes. It’s a challenge every day.”

“We’ve definitely gotten much better,” Brusewitz added. “But that’s just because we’ve had more possessions and more practice at it.”

The hallmark of Wisconsin basketball over the past decade has been consistency and that is exactly what UW seems to be finding just as the right moment. If the Badgers are able to maintain that consistency over the next month, they will once again find themselves with a high seed come Selection Sunday.

Badgers Overcome Shooting Woes In Road Win

No matter how many times you look at Wisconsin’s road record in Big Ten play, the conference’s best over the last decade, it seems that the Badgers will always be known for their tendency to shoot the ball poorly away from the friendly confines of the Kohl Center. Despite shooting just 26% from the field in a 19-point first half, the Badgers (2-0 Big Ten, 11-4 overall) were able to squeak out a 47-41 win and head home to Madison with an unblemished conference record.  

Senior forwards Ryan Evans and Jared Berggren played a big part in helping UW get the win despite missing 10 free throws and hitting just 25% of its shots from beyond the three-point arc. Although the two big men were primary culprits when it came to struggling at the charity stripe, each found a way to make a major contribution. After failing to convert a field goal opportunity in the first half, Berggren put the Badgers’ offense on his back in the final 20 minutes, knocking down six shots en route to a game-high 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Evans, despite missing 6 of his 8 free throws, grabbed 14 rebounds to go along with 10 points, giving him his 4^th double double of the season.

Though perhaps unable to stand out in the box score, sophomore guard Traevon Jackson had what was arguably his breakout performance for the Badgers. Again struggling early on, Jackson came up big when UW needed him most, finishing inside late in the shot clock to extend Wisconsin’s lead to 4 with 3:36 left and following it up with a big-time step back jump shot to put the Badgers up 5 and ice the game with less than 35 seconds left. In addition to his 4 point, 2 assist, and 1 rebound stat line, Jackson was a big part of the UW effort defensively, keeping the NU backcourt in check while UW struggled to put points on the board.

With the victory, UW moves to 2-0 in conference play for the 1^st time since 2010. Having avoided tripping over the first two hurdles in conference play, the Badgers now enter an equally crucial stretch against the upper half of the Big Ten. After a mid-week break, Wisconsin will host No. 11 Illinois on Saturday before traveling to No. 5 Indiana and Iowa over the next week.

Given the strength of the Big Ten this season, games against the conference’s “bottom feeders” such as Nebraska (0-2 Big Ten, 9-5 overall) are crucial as the Badgers try to reach the NCAA Tournament for a 15^th consecutive season. Although this week’s victories over Penn State and Nebraska were anything but pretty, UW has found a way to get the job done.