Wisconsin Continues Its Losing Ways

When Wisconsin began the season undefeated, the expectations for this team were sky high. Many people
started dancing around the idea of them playing the first two rounds in Milwaukee, and maybe having their best chance to get Badgers head coach Bo Ryan's first Final Four. ESPN's analyst Jay Williams went as far to pick them to win the National Championship. Since then, Badgers have dropped five out of their last six games including three straight losses at home. While it has not been all roses for Wisconsin during Ryan's tenure, it has never been this tense with a team heading towards the brink.

On Saturday, Wisconsin seemed to have Ohio State right where they wanted them. Ohio State is dealing with their own issues, and Badgers led by six points with six minutes left to go in the game. Frank Kaminksy had made a layup, and then Nigel Hayes had a chance to put Wisconsin up eight with two free throws. Hayes would miss both of them, but Kaminsky would get an offensive rebound yet he would not score. In fact, Wisconsin would only have four points the rest of game along with not a single field goal. It also did not help the Badgers could not hit a free-throw to save their life, one of the sneaky things that occasionally troubles Wisconsin.

In the second half, Badgers missed eight free throws in a game where Ohio State won by one point. For the game, Wisconsin missed 10 free throws overall. With how good Hayes was in this basketball game, he still missed five free throws in the game. There is no question Hayes played a big part in keeping Wisconsin in the game and helped them gain a lead but five missed free throws are a major killer. We made mention about how Wisconsin needs to get more free throws if they are not hitting three-pointer shots which they did as they got to line 29 times... But they need to make more than 19.

When it comes to Wisconsin's lack of scoring down the stretch, some might point to the lack of minutes Sam Dekker received late in the game. Before the Ohio State game, Dekker averaged 33.1 minutes a game during Big Ten conference play. He had a season-low in points, season-low in minutes with 19 and once again for the second straight game, only shot six times from the field. Hayes came off the bench to have 17 points, but Ryan decided to not play Dekker and Hayes at the same time. While they play the same position, there is no reason Dekker could not have played the three or the five for that matter creating a bigger lineup. Did Dekker's comments to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have something to do with his lack of minutes Saturday?

It felt like a real life subtweet from Ryan to Dekker. He basically sat him down and did not play him as much almost sending a vindictive message that 'This kind of shit will not be tolerated by the Wisconsin program, keep your mouth shut, leave it to me to send messages through the media.' Is this bullshit? Absolutely. Dekker should have the freedom to take a leadership role on this team when Wisconsin is lacking one right now in the worst way. Traevon Jackson is not a leader as a point guard. He does not command team so why can't Dekker be the leader?  Because he is a sophomore?  Ryan may have cost the Badgers a victory on Saturday to send a message.

Wisconsin heads to Champaign on Wednesday to play a team they beat by 25 points earlier this season when the Badgers were rolling as unit. They feel more divided than ever before so who knows what the expectation should be for this game. They will need to figure something out quickly because the Big Ten season is not getting any easier.

Charlie.

Badgers Remix Their Style in Victory against Purdue

Wisconsin Badgers' season was a bit in flux. Even though they had lost three straight games to high-quality opponents, Wisconsin needed a win in the worst way against Purdue on Saturday afternoon. Badgers got the job done with a big second half where they adjusted their technique by getting to the free-throw line more as well as getting strong efforts from the entire starting five. Both teams were something Wisconsin lacked in the last three games. Did things change for Wisconsin for good or will this be an aberration?

This season Wisconsin's team has been known for their 3-point shooting ability, and how they live and die by the three although maybe the narrative should be 'Wisconsin wins games when they attack the lane and draw fouls.'  In three of Wisconsin's four wins, the Badgers went to the free-throw line at least 30 times. This game is much more encouraging versus the first two because Wisconsin made 80 percent of their free-throws versus a 60 and 70 percent clip in the other two games. If Badgers are making 80 percent of their free-throws and shooting 35 percent or more from three, they actually become a balanced team versus a team full of a 3-point shooters.

Bo Ryan has to hope this will be evidence Wisconsin's players need to go to the paint more often even when a 3-point shot is open. It is fair to say the Badgers fell in love with their ability to shoot the three. This happened in the last couple years too, and now if they can make a super secret pinky promise to keep playing this way, this will help Wisconsin go deeper in the tournament. Granted, the jury is still out regarding their defense. Purdue is not an offensive juggernaut by any means, and probably the next test for this defense is Ohio State on Saturday because let's be real, Northwestern will not win by utilizing an offensive explosion.

There is no such thing as PER in college basketball, and let's not try to create one yet this was probably one of the most efficient effort by Wisconsin's starting five in a long time. Good Traevon Jackson visited West Lafayette as he had 15 points with only three turnovers. Games like these are the reason Jackson stays in the starting lineup. With Purdue's star A.J. Hammonds in foul trouble, Frank Kaminsky went to work and Sam Dekker did not shoot great from the field yet got to the line eleven times, his highest of the season. If Dekker can figure out if his shot is not working, and he needs to get the rim, he becomes a much scarier player.

Wisconsin heads to Northwestern where trouble has lurked for them in years past on Wednesday, but the hope is they will keep winning before their showdown against Ohio State on Saturday where both teams will be in a situation where they need a marquee conference win. Let's see if Wisconsin can continue with this new style.

Charlie.

LOST: Wisconsin Badgers Defense

In no sport more than college basketball can teams come crashing down to earth quickly and rapidly. A team may get off to a fast start given playing mostly cupcakes with a couple strong wins thrown in there. Other times, the team has some nice strong wins coupled with the cupcakes. Wisconsin Badgers would probably be the second version. They were 16-0 to begin the year with one of their best starts and the hype building around them. Wisconsin careened since then losing their third straight game at Minnesota last night, 81-68, in a complete defensive blowout.

Wisconsin's defense looked bad in the last two games against Indiana and Michigan, but it was completely exposed in the game against Minnesota. The defensive numbers were stunning showing arguably one of the poorest efforts in the last couple of years.  Wisconsin only had six stops in 27 possessions for Minnesota in the second half. Badgers also gave up 48 of the 81 points in the paint meaning nearly 60 percent of their points happened inside the circle. Further, Wisconsin never led in the game and the closest they got in the second half was 41-35 with 17 minutes left to go into their game. This is rock bottom for this Badgers team meaning where do they go from here? 

My biggest concern about the lack of defensive effort from Badgers perspective is if Frank Kaminsky gets into foul trouble, this team is completely screwed. Vitto Brown did not play well in the post nor did Nigel Hayes really have a strong defensive game handling low post players. With teams having this on tape, isn't their first plan of attack for opposing teams to go right at Kaminksy and try to get him into foul trouble earlier than later?  Additionally, Kaminsky needs to stay down more and go for the defensive stand versus the shot block. When people are suggesting Evan Anderson would not hurt inside, there are some bigger issues than I think any of us realize right now (Anderson had a load of talent out of high school; he also is a load, curious about his conditioning if Wisconsin gives him extended minutes).

Bo Ryan is an ardent defender of man-to-man defense. Rarely, if ever, do we see Wisconsin go into a zone, but it has to happen at some point. It is not like Wisconsin needs to be in zone for the entire game, but if they change it up for two minutes or so, they could definitely help confuse the opposing offense. They are all expecting man-to-man right now as Ryan's defense lacks all sorts of creativity. The best part about zones is it does not have to be just one. He could mix in a 1-3-1, 2-3, Matchup, Box and 1. All of those could at least help this team right now whom simply does not look like they can play a man-to-man defense for a full 40 minutes. 

If Wisconsin is this bad defensively, the importance of making 3-pointers become even more critical for them to win basketball games. Badgers went 5-20 from outside, and that is telling to their struggles on Wednesday night. And going to the free-throw line 23 times is very encouraging, and it means Wisconsin did attempt to go the basket more than other games. Badgers want to win high-profile games, they honestly might need to score around 80 points which is unheard of in Ryan's system but it makes no sense for this team to control the clock. Wisconsin seemingly did that in the first 16 games, but now the offense is in a bit of a rut as well against good teams. 

The final question is are the Badgers a two or three seed?  Or did they play above their heads for the first part of the season, and reality is they are only a four and five seed with maybe an outside chance at a three? I lean towards the second one. They head to West Lafayette this Saturday for a matchup with Purdue who only scored 58 in double-overtime against Northwestern. There is no better time for Wisconsin to figure out their defense, and if they do not against the Boilermakers, more questions need to be asked about this team.

Charlie.  

Ferrell Pushes Indiana Past Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers are having a dream season thus far. Many analysts around college basketball were taking about this Wisconsin team in ways they had not before. Badgers fan like to play the no respect angle, but this year, many people were fawning over this team especially the last couple of weeks. Sometimes when people continue to talk about a good thing, they almost put a 'jinx' on it continuing on. Wisconsin fell to Indiana for the first time since 2007 as they lost 75-72. Wisconsin's inability to protect the rim, lack of free throws hurt this team on Tuesday night although Traevon Jackson provides a glimmer of hope for the future of this season and beyond.

Wisconsin had a 52-42 lead early in the second half. Indiana's head coach Tom Crean threw a temper-tantrum on the sideline and led him to bench his entire starting squad including putting Yogi, don't call me Kevin, Ferrell. It really appeared like the usual Crean and Bo Ryan matchup where Ryan puts him into a Chinese finger trap, and he never gets out. Indiana creeps slowly back by attacking the basket, and they begin to go on a run leading to Indiana tying the game and then taking the game away from Wisconsin.

Sophomore point guard Ferrell did not really have an efficient game shooting 25 times, but after his benching and that run, Indiana's floor general went 5/8 leading the charge back for the Hoosiers. Additionally, freshman Noah Vonleh played better than just 10 points and five rebounds. He made loud plays getting into the lane against Wisconsin's interior defense. I do not think Indiana provided a blueprint for beating Wisconsin, but it is clear slashing the paint is a way to win. Frank Kaminsky is a shot-blocker, but a shot blocker is not always a good defender. Wisconsin showed no ability to take a charge or challenge many plays.

Another thing that has become a problem for Wisconsin in the last couple of years is their inability to get to the free-throw line. Badgers only shot four free throws, and missed three of them. Sure, missing free throws is not good, but marginally getting to the lane is more concerning. Even if Wisconsin has become a 3-point shooting squad, they need to at least attempt to earn some points from the charity stripe. Not one of the three guards had a free throw attempt. Kaminksy had three of them with Nigel Hayes having the other one. That is unacceptable, and will not win you basketball games.

Even though he rushed a final shot, Traevon Jackson provided a bright spot for the future possibly. The junior point guard had a career-high 21 points on nine of eleven shooting. In the last two games, Jackson is averaging 18 points which is head and shoulders above what he has done for this team on offense. If he can provide that sort of offense for Wisconsin, they become that much better of a team. He does not need to do it truthfully with the scorers they have, but when everyone has an off night, it is important to have a guy like Jackson.

Wisconsin heads back home to face a Michigan team that is a shell of themselves from their National Runner-Up campaign last season. But that does not mean Wisconsin should take this squad lightly as it is being proven every night, the B1G is going to be a complete bloodbath.

Charlie.

Wisconsin Basketball, a Legit Final Four Contender?

It is not often I write about anything that is not NBA related. The reasoning is I do not feel like I have a grasp on college basketball especially compared to the NBA. But one thing that I have come to figure out about the college game is Wisconsin Badgers are fucking predictable. Year in, year out, Badgers head coach Bo Ryan will know as the shirts say in Madison. And Bo will know that his fundamental, slow style of basketball will throw a wrench in current basketball systems and win games for his program. It is a respectful way to play basketball, and all in all, a successful one. Few coaches have had greater success than Ryan, at any level.

This year, the Badgers have raced out to stunning 13-0 and are currently ranked 4th nationally. They are rolling. An expected 8-0 at home, and this year things just seem a little different in Madison. Let me show you the differences I see in this team in list format:

1.) Trustworthiness. The first thing about this team that jumps out to me as superior to previous Ryan led teams, is that I pretty much trust four of the five starters on the court to make the right play all the time. I have seen things from both Josh Gasser and Ben Brust in years past to show they know what is going on. Frank Kaminsky is legit. That dude scored 43 points in a game. Which is incredible in and of itself and also, he can be called Frank the Tank which has to render useful all the time. And of course Sam Dekker. In March, the wealth of playmakers should pay dividends.

2.) More Things Sam Dekker. He is super legit. He will be the first Badger to get significant NBA minutes since Devin Harris. Which is a breath of fresh air in Badgerland. For the season he is averaging 14.5 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. He can finish around the rim because of his lengthy 6’ 8” frame, and can shoot from distance. He can shoot and soar. Everything I cannot do myself. To make a generic NBA comparison like short Caucasian wide receivers to Wes Welker, I think there is no doubt he will be on par with both Chandler Parson and Gordan Hayward. Or basically the only two white 6’ 8” wings that can shoot, finish, and pass[1]. To make a cross-racial comparison, I think he can be a lot like Loul Deng. However, he will never become the defender that Deng is. Comparisons aside, Dekker is a legit college basketball star.

3.) Ability to play two styles of ball. Already the Badgers have scored 80+ points five different times. The total already matches the 80-point games produced last year, and there is more than half the season to play. They can win in a shootout. We have shooters everywhere, and of course, Dekker. But that is not to say this will not be a team that cannot buckle down and win the game with defense either. We are still the Wisconsin Badgers after all.

The facts above show this team is indeed seemingly more dangerous than Badger teams of years past, I still see some similarities that could be a concern moving forward (again I will put them in list format:

1.) The Bench. Depth in college basketball in critical, because you never know when the perils of playing on the road or young players making stupid decisions will strike and leave your team banking on a redshirt sophomore that has played an average of six minutes a game to play pivotal crunch-time minutes. And right now, the Badgers bench to me is a little suspect. While the freshmen (Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes) are intriguing, they are still freshman and I am not going to say they have looked like anything until they have played in some Big Ten slugfests.

2.) Cupcakes. Bo Ryan needs to step out his comfort zone and schedule some real games the first month of the season. One thing that can be counted on more than Aaron Rodgers beating Jay Cutler, is that Bo Ryan will not schedule anyone worth a damn before the Big Ten season. It is my opinion that this is costing Wisconsin wins in March. Other programs, most specifically Michigan State, schedule games against other top programs on neutral sites, to introduce the kids to the limelight. Bo, not only will not leave home, but also consistently schedules no one of significance. I cannot figure out what good playing against Prairie View A&M does for this team. That is essentially a waste of an opportunity to get better. I would much rather get spanked by Arizona on the road and learn something about my team, than play against PVA&M at home. Bo grow some Kahuna’s please.

There is no doubt that this is a good Badger team. They will be a 4-seed or better. But I’m excited to see this team take on the Big Ten. We will learn a ton about who Wisconsin really are then. First big test for the Badgers is against Iowa on January 5th. Hopefully Bo has ‘em buckled up.

As always Go Packers,

~Andrew

                                                                                                                                           
[1] If he grows out his hair and gets a terrible back tattoo of a dragon or bird, then he does have the potential to be Andrei Kirilenko.