Big Huskers Second Half Buries Badgers

Nebraska basketball is not known for much in college sports. People do not talk about Nebraska basketball and winning, it is just something does not work like lamb and tuna fish. But head coach Tim Miles has led on a renaissance this season with Nebraska making a push into the NCAA Tournament, but they needed a win against Wisconsin on Sunday night in what was perceived to be the Super Bowl of Nebraska basketball. Wisconsin could not handle the Huskers as they fell for the first time in nine games falling 77-68 in a game where Wisconsin was uncharacteristic in many ways missing free throws, turnovers and struggling to handle a transition offense plus should Badger fans push the panic button on Sam Dekker?

Badgers were taken out of their game by Nebraska. This is not your older brother's Badger team where they slow it down and play for the last shot, but at the same time, this Wisconsin team does need some balance to their game. They are not going to run in transition and push the pace of the game. Even with their potent offense, they want to do it in a way that's Wisconsin basketball and nothing else. But Nebraska moved the needle, and it was evident it frustrated the Badgers in more ways than one. 

Nebraska forced eleven turnovers on Wisconsin, their highest total since the win against Florida in the second game of the season. A blue chip way to beat the Badgers is getting them to turn the ball over. That rarely happens like an attractive woman talking to me at the bar.  The majority of the turnovers came from Traevon Jackson and Nigel Hayes. For Jackson, that is something Badgers hope is a mere blip on the radar and nothing more, because if he becomes turnover happy in postseason play, it could be curtains for a deep run in March. Hayes is a younger player, and games like these will happen so there should not be much concern there. 

The turnovers were not the only thing that hurt Wisconsin on Sunday evening. They missed 10 free throws going a little over 50 percent from the free throw line. When the Badgers suffered some of their defeats this season, it was more so due to the fact, they could not get to the free throw line versus missing free throws. Wisconsin is one of the better teams at shooting free throws coming in a tie for 25th at 73.2 percent so this is likely an aberration and nothing to worry about for the long term.  Additionally, Hayes had the majority of misses for this team. This might be a concern. With his free throw shooting being at a dismal 59 percent, it is hard to make a case why Hayes should be out there late in games if the Badgers are either leading or trailing by a close margin. 

Another concern might be the wear and tear of Sam Dekker, the Badgers best player. It seems like he truly needs a couple weeks off versus a couple days. We realize this is not happening, but Dekker does not play until Friday meaning he does get a little time to rest yet he continues to struggle in general. He only had nine points on six shots with only one attempt from three. This is his third straight game where he scored in single digits. In those three games, Dekker is shooting 26.7 percent from the field going 6/22. Additionally, he is only 1/7 from three. What does this mean?  Is Dekker not getting the ball enough where he disengages a bit and disappears from the action?  Or is Dekker not wanting to force shots at this point because he realizes the struggle bus he currently is on?  Not sure, it could be a mix of the two, but if Wisconsin wants a deep run, Dekker needs to be better than the last three games of the season. 

Even in the games where Wisconsin hit the rough patch, Dekker did not really have games like this one minus the Ohio State defeat where he only saw 19 minutes on the court. He needs to reestablish himself in Indianapolis as a go-to scorer. If that does not happen, Wisconsin can still win games but it is a lot harder on the four other starters along with the rest of the roster.  For me, Dekker's output in the next couple games will be the most interesting part of Wisconsin. 

Badgers likely ran into a buzzsaw in Lincoln with a team desperate for a win plus they saw others fall this weekend. Could it cost them a number one seed? Probably not. If Wisconsin rolls through the Big Ten Tournament beating the likes of Michigan State and Michigan to do it, they probably could be a one seed especially if other teams would happen to fall off the face of the map. The seeding probably will not matter as they will get the in-state advantage unless they lose their first Big Ten game to Minnesota or Penn State. This should be just a blip for the Badgers. 

Charlie.  

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.  

Hayes and Jackson Power Wisconsin over Michigan State

The month of January was not kind to Wisconsin Badgers basketball. They won at Illinois to begin February but faced a showdown with Michigan State on Sunday afternoon. Wisconsin had lost three straight at home and faced one of the top teams in the country, Michigan State, on Sunday afternoon. Badgers ended the home losing streak by winning 60-58, and they started to develop some momentum going forward this month with another big effort from Nigel Hayes, shutting down Gary Harris and Traevon Jackson's confidence pays off for a change.

It is pretty clear watching Wisconsin play over the last month that Hayes, the 6'7 freshman from Ohio, is going to be a star on this team. He won Freshman of the Week for the third time this season and is rapidly improving by the game. Hayes is a tough player to guard because while he is undersized to play the four, he is built like a defensive end meaning Hayes can out physical most people inside.  He showed against Michigan State the ability to face up to the basket and make things happen as well as nearly every time he did some sort of post move, Hayes drew a foul on a Michigan State defender.

In recent weeks, Hayes going to the free throw line 12 times could spell trouble for this team. For the season, Hayes shoots a mere 58 percent from the free throw line. He is not a good shooter by any means therefore if he goes to the line more than 10 times a game, there is a need to be better. Hayes did just that on Sunday afternoon missing only four of his 12 free throw attempts.  Most of his points came from the line as Hayes once again finished with double-digit scoring with 14, but that is very important he may have found his stroke at the free throw line. Hayes' last three games see him averaging 15 points a game and shooting 72 percent from the field. It is evident Hayes is pushing hard to be considered for Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten.  

Gary Harris is one of the best players in the country. Wisconsin's defense is not what it used to be in years past. Many people assumed Harris would have a big game against this Wisconsin team, but he had only six points on 3/20 shooting. Wisconsin finally held a star player in check for most of the game. Sure, Adreian Payne went off for 24 points, but they cut off Harris from scoring. Badgers' perimeter defense was as good as I have seen this season. They forced Harris into several bad shots, and he never found a rhythm in the game. We can wonder if things would have been different if Keith Appling played, but missing 17/20 shots is not completely point guard driven. Wisconsin caused Harris to have a bad game, and with the next couple games deal with facing good guards, it will be interesting to see if shutting down the top guards become a trend.  

Another major criticism with this team has been the play of Traevon Jackson. On this blog, we refer to it as 'Good Traevon' or 'Bad Traevon.' This was the definition of a good Traevon game. He did not too much as Jackson only shot the ball five times. He had seven points, eight assists and five rebounds filling up the box score rather than just shooting the ball countless amounts of time. Jackson beat Harris off the dribble for the game-winning shot with two seconds. He might not be the player Wisconsin fans want taking the last shot of the game, but the thing about game-winners is once a player knows he can do it, he tends to repeat his success. I am not completely sold on Jackson turning the corner, but if he keeps stringing together good starts, I will be inclined to do so.  

This could be the start of payback week for Wisconsin as they face rival Minnesota on Thursday who they fell to earlier this season, and head to Ann Arbor Sunday to see if they can do to Michigan, what the Wolverines did to Wisconsin... Beat them on the road. Revenge tour could be in full force, and it might be led by the young man from Ohio.  

Charlie.   

Dekker Leads Wisconsin's Bounce-Back Win

The narrative about Wisconsin Badgers' basketball season changed in the past couple of weeks. They went
from being an undefeated team to a team one game under .500 in conference midway through the season. Badgers' narrative can change again though without question, but they need to start winning again. It started against Illinois on Tuesday night with a 75-63 road victory with a big performance from Sam Dekker, good Traevon Jackson came to play and just how good is Nigel Hayes?

Last couple of games have been rough on Dekker as he struggled to put up shots as well as got 'benched' by his head coach in the second half of the Ohio State game. It seemed like the Badgers sophomore forward played angry on Tuesday night, and most of it came from long distance. Dekker had 16 points going four of seven from three along with another field goal and a couple free throws. We can debate all day whether Dekker wanted to prove a point to his head coach, but I do not think it is a coincidence Dekker has a big game following a season-low in minutes and points

There is nothing wrong with having a game where Dekker is red hot from distance rather than taking it to the lane. Sure there would be a need for Dekker to be more aggressive down, but there is no need if he has it going from distance Although if Dekker can put all together when he has a game that features him dominating down low as well as making four or five threes, he could be one of the best players in the country. Imagine what Doug McDermott does on a nightly basis, but two inches taller, that's what Dekker could be doing if everything is going for him.

Once again, this game is proof of how good Wisconsin can be when good Traevon Jackson comes to play versus the bad version. He draws a ton of ire from fans, but Jackson puts out productive games every now and again keeping him as a starter. Jackson had 14 points with seven rebounds and three assists on 4/7 shooting. This is the type of game Badger fans want on a consistent basis from Jackson. In five of Wisconsin's six losses, Jackson has more than 10 shots. Only one of those games, Indiana, did Jackson shoot over 50 percent. He is a much better player when he is only shooting seven to eight times and attempting to get the basket versus wild 3-point attempts. If Jackson keeps this up, Wisconsin becomes a different team.

Right now, Wisconsin seems to have the best freshman in the Big Ten. While Nigel Hayes does not have the numbers for  Freshman of the Year consideration, he might by the end of the month. In the last two games, Hayes shot 11/14 from the field with a combined 31 points which is two fewer than his combined point total in his last five games in conference. Hayes is putting it all together and becoming a great sixth man off the bench. He will without question be a starter next year, and likely push Dekker to the three position as Hayes feels more like a four. With Hayes, Wisconsin adds more size and toughness giving them a nice compliment rotation with the three guard system with Josh Gasser, Jackson and Ben Brust. Hayes will only continue to get better.

Wisconsin tries to break their three-game home losing streak against rival Michigan State. Another narrative springs up with both teams as Wisconsin fans love to think 'Bo owns Izzo' given Ryan's success against Spartans head coach Tom Izzo.  Although Michigan State has won their last five meetings so who really owns who?

Charlie.  

Stone-Cold Shooting leads to a Wisconsin Stunner

It appeared like Wisconsin figured out a way to reverse their fortunes in the Big Ten. Taking down Purdue on the road beating them by double-digits and doing things completely different than the last three losses made things seem encouraging for the Badgers basketball team. On Wednesday, nothing seemed the same as Wisconsin turned in its worst performance of the year by losing to Northwestern at home, 65-56. Badgers turned in a putrid offensive performance combined with terrible perimeter defense plus raising the question, has the Kohl Center lost its luster?

Unlike previous years, Wisconsin has been a prolific offense with a team full of 3-point shooters whom can fill up the tin at will.  Even if they are not making their threes, the offense does not usually revert back to the days of Dick Bennett where 55 points would win you the game. Last night against Northwestern, this offense looked like a complete mess. Badgers shot a stunning 15/57 from the field, going 5/24 from three as well. According to KenPom, Northwestern holds the eleventh best defense in the nation, but at the same time, Wisconsin seems like to have the players to figure them out yet that did not happen as Wisconsin had only 39 points with five minutes left in the game. For reference, Wisconsin had 40 points at halftime in their first game against the Wildcats.

Sam Dekker disappeared last night, and that is something Wisconsin cannot have whatsoever. Dekker got to the free-throw line which is a bright spot, but the fact he only took six shots is concerning. He cannot become a ghost in this offense. Even though Wisconsin has five starters who can score, Dekker is the piece that makes everything go in the offense. What did not help either is bad Traevon Jackson came out to play as his inconsistent campaign continued for the Badgers. Jackson went 2/12 with only four assists. Wisconsin as a whole, only had 10 assists for the game. When there are bad shooting nights usually a lack of assists can tell the story.

Wisconsin's defense did not play much better than the offense especially in the second half.  Northwestern had 43 points in the second half, and there are some games where that would be the Wildcats' output for the entire game. Much of it had to do with Northwestern getting open shots on the perimeter. They shot 43 percent from three including having other open looks due to ball-screening Wisconsin to death creating open shots for Drew Crawford and others. Crawford had a great game for the Cats going 10/15 from the field and ended up with 30 points. If Wisconsin's defense is having troubles with Northwestern's 311th ranked offense, they could be in some serious trouble.

It is worth having a discussion about the Kohl Center and luster of it being one of the 'toughest places to play in college basketball.'  There was a time in previous years where Badgers were nearly a lock to win at home no matter the opponent. This is Northwestern's first win at the Kohl Center... ever. They were 0-13 and had not won in Madison since 1996. I do not know if teams are not intimidated anymore by Kohl or the lower bowl fans excluding the students are not as loud as they used to be. That was a problem for Marquette during different seasons and runs because there is an expectation that every home win would be a victory. We shall see how other teams will handle Kohl this season.

Wisconsin heads to Ohio State this weekend where the Buckeyes are also at a crossroads after losing to Penn State at home last night. Both teams are in a must-win situation making this game very critical for each team, but thankfully, Wisconsin will be playing in front of their home crowd. Hopefully, they can get up for the most important game of the season thus far.

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.

Another Badgers Defensive Letdown Leads to a Michigan Win

Sometimes when a team loses their first game of the season when they had a long winning streak; they do not know how to respond and suffered another loss. This is what happened to Wisconsin's basketball program. Badgers went 0-2 this week losing to Michigan at home 77-70 for the first time since people were concerned about Y2K. Badgers once again was let down by their defensive effort, an inconsistent Traevon Jackson but did get another encouraging Josh Gasser performance on the offensive end.

Mitch McGary went out with a back injury in early December. People felt like all hope was lost for this Michigan team as they struggled in the non-conference. John Beilein figured out how to win with this basketball team, and this is an impressive coaching job thus far.  Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert tore up Wisconsin as they combined for 43 points including six 3-pointers. Stauskas turned into a player whom is just not a heat-check guy rather an all-around basketball player with a silky jumper. The step-back three from Stauskas deserves to be on 'One Shining Moment' because it was that good.



So what's the problem here with Wisconsin's defense? I think it is a combination of being an undersized team inside with having a player like Sam Dekker, not a true post player and Frank Kaminsky, just a shot blocker. Dekker pulled down 10 rebounds which is great for Wisconsin, but Kaminsky only had four rebounds. It is not like Michigan pulled down a bevy of offensive rebounds, but what it says is Kaminsky really did not have position to make rebounds being a factor on the defensive end. When Ben Brust has sixth defensive rebounds alone to Kaminksy's two is not a good sign for this Badgers team moving forward in the rugged Big Ten.

Our one bright spot with their Indiana defeat was the play of Traevon Jackson. He turned around on Saturday and had one of his worst performances of the year. He went 3 for 11 missing two 3-points in the process as well as taking a brutal shot late in the game when Jackson had multiple defenders on him. The inconsistent play of Jackson is something that could really hurt Wisconsin in the long run. He does not need to be a scorer on this team. Sure, there are situations where they might need him, but in the long run, Jackson is the fourth scoring option on this starting five. He needs to be more in control, and if he is not, Bo Ryan needs to be quicker on yanking him out of the game versus letting him play through it.

This game was not great for Wisconsin, but it seems like Josh Gasser is out of his funk.  In December, Gasser had a four-game stretch where he averaged a little over three points a game. In the last four games, he has scored in a double-digits and an efficient manner too. He seemed to have figure things out a bit on the offensive end which is huge for this team making Jackson less of a scoring option. Sometimes when a player suffers a severe injury, it takes some time to figure out how to play basketball again at an efficient rate. Gasser also went four for five from 3-point land which is a season-best for him.

Wisconsin heads out on the road to play a young Minnesota team at The Barn Wednesday night before heading to Purdue on Saturday. Badgers need to get back on track, and these are not easy games for them. With a couple days to prepare, you have to believe Wisconsin will be better on defense and if not, this might be only an above average 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.