Badgers Pulverize Purdue in their Eighth Straight Win

Wisconsin Badgers are knocking on the door to a one seed. There are only a couple teams hotter than Wisconsin right now with those being Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. Other than that, everyone is defecating the bed around them. No one seems like they want to grab the final one seed right now meaning the door is definitely open a touch more for Wisconsin than it was a week or two ago. Wisconsin won their eighth straight B1G game, their longest streak since 1940-41, beating Purdue 76-70 where Frank Kaminksy delivers another big performance, Traevon Jackson continues his good play and Sam Dekker might be showing signs of fatigue.

This game was not a six point difference by any means as it felt more like a Badger blowout for most of the game. They held control for a majority of the game having a lead anywhere from eight to 15 points enforcing their will against Purdue. For the second straight game, Wisconsin held a team silent from the outside. AS certain points of the year, Badgers had some difficulties against perimeter shooting, but in the last two games, Penn State and Purdue shot 4/27 from the outside. Although these are not great three point shooting teams, holding the last two teams to shooting 14 percent is pretty impressive. 

Frank Kaminsky might have the highest ceiling on the team besides Dekker. Many people were not probably saying that at the beginning of the year, but he really came into his own as a basketball player. Kaminsky dropped 22 points going 8/11 from the field and making four of five three pointers. He also grabbed down five rebounds. I doubt the B1G has a most improved award but if they did, Kaminsky is the runaway winner. In his first two years, Kaminsky averaged three points a game and now his average is 13 points. A 10 point increase is phenomenal in just one year of basketball, and his ability to balance from being a shooter to a big man is strong. People forget how hard the balance is for big men as we saw Steve Novak and Brian Butch both struggle with that until their senior year. Frank The Tank is the most improved in the Big Ten and probably an All Big Ten player. 

There are a couple deep dark secrets about Wisconsin right now... One of them is Traevon Jackson improved in the last couple of week. He had 14 points and only took six shots in his third straight double-digit game. Granted, Jackson's field goal percentage is not strong for the season, but he made stuff happen on offense when others hit the skids. He might be a frustrating player for Wisconsin, yet something could be said for a guy whom has all sorts of confidence in the world. Jackson elevated his play in the past couple of games and that's extremely important for Wisconsin. I am still unsure how he will handle the March Madness pressure, but right now, it seems like Jackson is playing with the most confidence he has all season.   

One thing that has to be a worrisome thing for Wisconsin in the past two games is Sam Dekker's ineffectiveness. This was his second straight game where he failed to score in double-digits. Dekker only had two shots in the first half and finished with only seven making only one. Is it fair to wonder if the wear and tear of the B1G is starting to tire him out a bit? I think it would be something to assume at this point. Purdue and Penn State are not world-beaters meaning there is no real reason why Dekker would be struggling out there. He could also just be in a little slump which happened before this season with him. What I would like to see more is Dekker trying to work inside and move to the outside demanding the ball on the block looking to score in other ways versus just accepting Kaminsky and Jackson going off. Dekker's play will be something to watch. 

Wisconsin heads to Lincoln in a game that means a hell of a lot more for the home team than the team coming in from Madison. This is a March barometer test for Wisconsin. They will likely be favored by one or two with people not expecting much, but if Wisconsin wins especially by a large margin, they send a message to not only other B1G teams, but the entire nation. 

Charlie.  

Wisconsin's Basketball Revenge Ax

This week is a revenge reunion tour for Wisconsin Badgers basketball team with playing Minnesota and Michigan, two teams they lost to earlier this season. They had a chance to not only avenge a couple losses but also make a move in the B1G standings. Badgers took care of one last night by beating Minnesota, 78-70, with a big Ben Brust performance, Badgers earning it from the free throw line and Wisconsin becoming an all-around good team again for the first time in a long while. 

This is one of those games where it is not really considered a blowout, but Wisconsin held Minnesota at bay for the majority of the game. The closest Minnesota got in the second half was five points twice, but really this game resembled the first one except the other team won the game. Badgers put the Gophers into submission, and never let them even sniff a lead in the second period. This was a dominating win for the Badgers even if the box score does not completely reflect it. 

Ben Brust is having a good season, but I do not think many people are realizing it. He does it in such a quiet manner. Brust is averaging 13.2 points a game which is two points above his junior year average and a career-high for him. No one talks about Brust as everyone is talking about Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes. My assumption is Brust does not care, and he will keep grinding. Last night, he played great with going perfect from three making four threes and had 20 points, a near season-high for him. Additionally, this was a great bounce back for him as he only had five points against Michigan State including a big free throw miss late in the game that nearly cost Wisconsin. If Brust becomes more of an offensive threat than just a three-point shooter, Badgers will be much better.  

Wisconsin and the free throw line have a bizarre relationship. It does seem like when the Badgers settle for 3-pointers they do not typically win games. Weirdly enough, Marquette and them, are similar in that way minus the fact Wisconsin can nail down threes. They got to the line 36 times last night with a big night at the line from Frank Kaminksy. For the season, Big Frank shoots about 80 percent from the line, and he went perfect yesterday going nine for nine. The nine free throw attempts were a season-high for Kaminsky. Wisconsin did a great job feeding him in the post, and Kaminsky made sure he forced contact drawing the attempts. Another guy that earned it from the line again was Nigel Hayes. This is the second straight game where he shot above 75 percent as he went five for six from the charity stripe. If Hayes continually shoots about 70 percent from both the field and the free throw line, Wisconsin will be very strong as a unit. 

It seems like for the first time in weeks, Wisconsin figured things out with both offense and defense. The last three games have been supremely encouraging for this team, and Wisconsin might be hitting their collective stride at the right time. Michigan State was a close win by box score terms for the Badgers, but really, they had control of the whole game until the final moments where they could not make a shot. Further, that's the only game in the three where they have went cold for a long period of time. Badgers are still three games back from the B1G lead, but they could push towards the top in the coming weeks. 

Revenge tour makes a stop at Ann Arbor this Sunday taking on Michigan, a team that gave Wisconsin all sorts of trouble at home. Badgers hope to repay the favor. This will be the Badgers first visit to Crisler Arena since 2011-2012 season where they only scored 41 points. Hopefully for Wisconsin, history does not repeat itself. 

Charlie. 

13 Thoughts About College Basketball Thus Far

It has been awhile since we have talked about college basketball here. I will start writing more in the coming weeks as we have conference games coming up after Christmas. I will probably do something Monday and Friday for college basketball plus whenever Marquette plays I will have a recap the following night. If you are wondering about Wisconsin, the door has been wide open for someone to start writing about them, but no one seized the opportunity. Yes this is a blogger's version of a subtweet.

The off-base Kansas and Andrew Wiggins' criticism - No one expected Kansas to lose three games in the first month or so of the season. It really comes down to this is still a young team, and they are not going to be perfect right of the gate. Big 12 is off to a fast start with good non-conference wins meaning this could be a better conference than expected.  Andrew Wiggins has took some heat because he does not have the one 'Holy shit, that's why he's Andrew Wiggins' yet averaging 15 points, five rebounds and assists per game is not a bad stat line for a freshman, but people act like he's going to be a bust. Wiggins, Joel Embiid and the boys will round perfectly into form. If they are not a one or two seed, I will be shocked.

Kentucky finishing 37-3 apparently - Kentucky's fan base believed this team could go unbeaten. Even though they were freshman for the most part, people wanted to live the dream with their loaded class featuring Julius Randle, Harrison Twins and others. Sadly for Wildcats fan base is everyone expects all their freshman classes to be in the 2011 squad forgetting they had guys like Darius Miller and Doran Lamb who were both experienced leaders. 2011 is not walking through that door.  Kentucky fell to North Carolina, Baylor and Michigan State this season. They have one more difficult non-conference game against Louisville, but then the SEC should be a breeze other than Florida/Missouri matchups. Kentucky will be fine even if their fan base wants to fire John Calipari.

Arizona is a true number one - In college basketball, it is nice to see the number one whom deserves their ranking at this time of year. Sometimes that can be hard to achieve yet Arizona is the real deal. Who cares Aaron Gordon is not having the best freshman start. They have the likes of Nick Johnson whose off to a great start as well as new transfer T.J. McConnell running the point. Besides Johnson, Gabe York is playing at a high level as well. The fact of the matter is Arizona lucked into a big freshman not having a great year in 2012 meaning almost all of them stayed combining classes making them a true threat for the National Championship.  It really looks like Arizona could be number one by the time they play UCLA on the road in mid-January.

B1G is far and away the best conference - It is pretty easy to say this team won the non-conference belt for conferences. Three of the top five are Big Ten teams. Iowa and Illinois will be rated in and around the top 25 all season. Minnesota is not that shabby either with young coach Richard Pitno. Indiana will be better in January when their freshman start to get cooking. Not to mention, Michigan who has four losses already should be better in conference play. I do not expect a one seed out of the Big Ten honestly. I could see them getting two 2 seeds, but that might be generous. It is not a knock to the B1G, in fact it is a compliment because everyone is going to beat up each other.

Joel Embiid is the college basketball hipster favorite freshman - A part of me thinks by March, he will be right up there with Wiggins and Parker in terms of the best players in college basketball that casual and NBA fans are talking about. ESPN Chad Ford already has him in his top three which means Embiid does not need to do much more for the expects. It will be interesting to see if casual fans will end up buying into him. When a player is getting compared to Hakeem Olajuwon at age 19, you know he could be really great

Jury is still out on Marquette - It probably is time where I talk about Marquette. I would love to say Marquette solved all their problems with wins against IUPUI and Ball State yet they could really use a marquee win this weekend against New Mexico. They looked good with a trap/press defense plus they have found their balance scoring yet it is still concerning who will be the go-to scorer with four minutes left to go in a tight game. Duane Wilson might be coming back this Saturday from an injury. Freshman Deonte Burton and Jajuan Johnson are looking more confident with each game. But I am not ready to be sold on this team until they can do it against solid competition.

I cannot figure out North Carolina - What a bizarre team. They are undefeated against ranked teams and they are 4-3 against unranked teams this year. I have no idea what to think about this squad. Marcus Paige looks like an All-American, but other than that, there is not much there to feel confident in. Leslie McDonald did come back this week in a loss against Texas and the P.J. Hairston decision should come down before the end of the week. This has all the makings of a sixth seed that ends up in the Final Four.

Jabari Parker and Duke are must-watch - People hate Duke all the time. It is the fun thing to do, but is this the most likable Blue Devils team in the last 10 years?  I would say it is damn near close. They do not have the one hateable guy that everyone can rally behind. Jabari Parker is fun as hell to watch because he can shoot six threes or bang it down in the post. At least right now, he is more fun to watch than Wiggins. They have a top three player in the country along with other key contributors. If Duke wants to be more disliked, we need to get Marshall Plumleee some more time

How did people forget about Shabazz Napier? - Naturally, he did not play well last night against Stanford at home, but Napier seemed to be the lost soul in the 'Player of the Year' talk.  I am not saying he will take home the award, but rather, he deserves to be mentioned as one of the best 10 players in the college basketball. I think the reason why Napier did not get the same amount love besides freshman is UConn plays in the AAC versus heading to ACC or you know the Big East.

Not ready for Wisconsin to be this good - As a Marquette fan, I made mention earlier this year about the weirdness of this rivalry but I cannot deal with Wisconsin being a top five team right now. This looks like their best year to get to the Final Four. Sam Dekker will be right up there for Big Ten Player of the Year, and the jury is still out whether Evan Anderson will take J.P. Gavinski's title of 'Best B1G Towel Waver.'  I expect we will see much more Bronson Koenig in conference play.  

Could Wichita State get a top three seed? - This is a honest question with Wichita State sitting at number eleven in the polls, and they are unbeaten for the non-conference. Missouri Valley Conference is missing two games with Creighton meaning Wichita State might have the ability to damn near run the table in that conference. If they do, I would not be surprised if the Shockers get a top 16 seed given their Final Four run last season. I feel like that gives them a little more respect than other mid-majors.

Villanova is not the best team in the Big East, right? - To be frank, it has not been the best start for the new Big East. Villanova clearly has the best win against Kansas in late November, but none of the teams are off to quick starts besides Nova. Is it fair to call Nova the favorites? Probably not. I would say it is wide open, and teams will round into form. Villanova is rated eighth due to beating Kansas and Iowa in one weekend after that, they have played virtually no one. It should be fun to see them against Syracuse next Saturday.

It will never be easier to make the NCAA Tournament - Look at how many teams have three or four losses already and I think it will be very easy for people to get into the tournament. It is not because there is parity in college basketball rather there are more good programs than ever before. This means there will be more upsets leading to a couple eleven or maybe 12 loss program gets into the tournament. I may or may not be saying this to ensure Marquette finds a way in, I don't know.

Charlie.